Welcome back to Eyes On Us, where Emma and Sophie are turning their attention to how early years settings can build strong foundations for the academic year before the children even return. In this episode, Emma and Sophie explore how practitioners can move beyond perfect displays and instead prepare calm, welcoming environments shaped around children’s emotional needs, interests, and relationships. The period before children return is often filled with staff inductions, training, classroom preparation, and long lists of jobs that need to be completed. It can be easy to spend hours reorganising cupboards, finishing display boards, or trying to create perfectly curated play spaces. However, children are not interested in perfect laminating or completed displays. What matters is whether they enter an environment that feels calm, familiar, welcoming, and emotionally safe. Moving Away from the Perfect Classroom Early years environments do not need to be completely finished before the children arrive. In fact, the most meaningful environments are shaped by the children who use them. Their interests, photographs, experiences, ideas, and work should gradually become part of the space. Rather than focusing only on how the environment looks, practitioners should consider how it will feel to a child entering it for the first time. Calm, uncluttered, accessible, and cosy spaces can feel far more welcoming than rooms filled with bright colours, busy walls, and too many resources. Sometimes, less really is more. Preparing the Environment Around the Children Collecting All About Me information before the first day gives practitioners valuable insight into the children joining their setting. This information might include a child’s preferred name, favourite songs, books, interests, family members, and the strategies that help when they become upset. If several children enjoy playing with cars, for example, practitioners can ensure the garage and cars are ready when they arrive. Familiar resources and activities can provide an immediate point of connection during what may otherwise feel like an unfamiliar experience. Gathering information early also gives staff an opportunity to begin learning the names of children and their parents before the beginning of term. Prioritising Relationships During the First Weeks When planning for the opening weeks, the focus should not immediately be on learning objectives. The most important learning taking place during this period is relational. Children are learning who the adults are, whether they can trust them, how the setting works, and whether this new environment is a safe place to be. Practitioners are also learning who each child is, how they communicate, what interests them, and what helps them feel secure. Only when children feel safe and supported can meaningful learning begin. The first weeks should therefore prioritise relationships, trust, emotional security, and connection. Creating Familiarity and Belonging Family photographs can provide comfort and help children maintain a connection with home. A family tree or photograph display can be especially valuable when a child is upset or missing someone they love. It also shows children that their lives and relationships are represented within the setting, helping them develop a sense of belonging from the beginning. Photo books featuring staff members and different areas of the nursery can also make unfamiliar people and places more predictable. Children can look through photographs of their classroom, playground, or other areas before moving through the setting. These books can also help parents understand the people and places their children talk about at home. Using Visual Timetables from the Beginning Visual timetables can help children understand what will happen throughout the day and reduce some of the uncertainty that comes with entering a new environment. Practitioners can prepare visual timetables before the start of term and introduce them as soon as the children arrive. Stock images may be useful initially, but these can gradually be replaced with photographs of the actual children, staff members, routines, and spaces within the setting. Information from All About Me forms can also be used to include familiar songs, stories, and interests in settling-in plans from the first day. Preparing the Staff Team Preparing for the new academic year is not only about preparing the physical environment. The staff team also needs to feel safe, confident, and supported. The beginning of a new term can be an anxious time, particularly for practitioners who have recently joined the setting or are working with a new team. This preparation period provides an opportunity to strengthen team relationships, establish clear expectations, agree on settling-in strategies, and create a shared purpose. A stressed team cannot create a calm environment for children. When practitioners feel secure, informed, and supported, they are better able to provide that same emotional security for the children in their care. Communicating With Parents Before the First Day Parents also need clear information about what the settling-in process will look like. Before the first day, settings should explain where families need to go, what will happen at drop-off, how the settling-in procedure works, and what parents can expect from the nursery team. Sharing this information in advance gives parents time to ask questions or discuss any concerns they may have. It also begins the parent-practitioner relationship positively. Even before meeting the child, practitioners can demonstrate that they are approachable, reliable, and ready to communicate. Setting the Tone for the Year Ahead When preparing for a new term, the most important question may not be, “What still needs to be done?” Instead, practitioners can ask: “How do we want children to feel when they walk through the door?” If the answer is calm, relaxed, happy, secure, and welcome, those feelings should guide decisions about the environment, planning, staff preparation, and communication with families. Strong foundations are not created through perfect displays. They are created through relationships, flexibility, thoughtful preparation, and environments that children can gradually make their own. Continuing Professional Development 👉 Explore our upcoming CPD courses to continue developing your practice and supporting children and families in your setting.
