Igniting curiosity by creating learning spaces that engage, motivate and inspire young children.

Places to Play for 2-year-olds is a two-part publication which follows the success from the award-winning Places to Play Every Day for 3-5 year olds.

High-quality experiential play is enabled by access to a well-organised and stimulating learning environment. It is essential that learning spaces reflect the differing developmental needs of two-year olds, so that they are motivated and eager to explore and learn every day.

The guidance will support practitioners in effectively organising their environment, thereby inviting learning across a range of contexts, indoors and out. Each section provides an overview of a learning space that includes the adult’s role, child’s voice, resources and skills to be taught.

The audit is a supplement to the main guidance. A fundamental aspect in driving improvement to the learning environment requires an initial audit, to look at what is already in place. Auditing the provision will enable practitioners working with children aged two to use a clear and systematic approach, to evaluate what is currently available to children and identify areas that can be further developed in their setting.

The user-friendly audits can be completed by the nursery or preschool manager, the room leader, early years practitioner or as a staff team. The audits complement the book Places to Play Every Day for 2-year-olds and when used in conjunction with each other help to support identification of any gaps in provision and areas for development.

The two publications are offered as a package together to provide practitioners with the tools to support ongoing self-evaluation of the environment for two year olds alongside clear guidance to further develop high-quality provision.