During my years working as an early year’s educator I always found the toddler room the hardest room to set up.
I found it hard planning out a room that they would enjoy and would also be practical. One day I decided to spend my working day on the floor looking at the room from their point of view and I realised my room was not catering for toddlers at all. I decided to completely overhaul my room and I started with the soft play.
I wanted my children to be able to totter around the room safely. I wanted to make sure that they felt secure and that they felt safe to explore their room and any bumps they took were cushioned.
Then I thought about their access to toys. Their toys were all in cabinets or on tables and not very easy for them to pull out themselves and play with.
I started to use this concept of placing toys in baskets on angled shelvesso the children could see and pick what they wanted to play with. Granted five minutes to closing time when the room was upside down, I would often rethink this!
After working with toddlers and raising toddlers I find it so alluring how much they enjoy their own reflection.
A mirror is often the key to deflecting a tantrum. Your toddler room should be child centred and encourage movement, exploration and interaction in a safe environment A free-flowing room with the child at the core.