Deconstructed Role Play

In the Team Barnes side of the EYFS we have changed the way we set up the role play area. Instead of directly linking it to the topic, we have decided to try something called a 'deconstructed role play area'. So, we created a space that is full of things that can be anything. It is like that old saying about children getting expensive toys for Christmas and then playing with the box! There is good reason for that. A toy is a toy, but a box has a million possibilities (at least)! Firstly, we have to warn you it doesn't look 'pretty'! It is a pile of boxes, fabric, tubes and crates. The more the children use it the shabbier it will look. But, the level of imagination and language that we will get will be reward enough. The space can change almost by the minute depending on who is playing in it and better than that you can often have multiple role play scenarios all happening at once based on what the children want to play. We have experienced this after only using it for this week with many things from a house to a dinosaur land at the same time. We have also noticed an increase in the amount of children using the area and a higher level of engagement and imagination (which is what we wanted). If you have any questions about this then please don't hesitate to ask but we are excited for what the change has to bring on the next step of our RAPS journey.