Nursery World - Working with Families

Make tidying up part of your day at your early years setting, as explained by Katy Morton

Tidying can be fun and incorporate learning activities

While all settings recognise the importance of getting children to tidy up, many encounter problems engaging all those in their care. However, practitioners should not give up trying, as tidying is an important skill for children to learn and one that they will take with them into adulthood.

Taking part in tidy-up time:

Keeping a setting tidy prevents resources from getting broken or lost and children or staff from tripping but, says early years consultant and author Penny Tassoni, it also improves children’s play opportunities.

‘If an area is messy and jumbled after use, a child going to the space may not see the play opportunities,’ she explains. ‘However, if the area is tidy and tidied throughout the day, children will have better play opportunities and the activity is more likely to hold their attention.’

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