The following list represents some of the many materials that can be provided in defined areas in your setting. Children should have access to a wide variety of resources in these areas most of the time.
Construction Area
- Unit blocks: wooden, plastic or soft blocks of various shapes, colours, textures and weight
- Hollow blocks: wooden, plastic or cardboard
- Interlocking blocks: Lego, Duplo, stickle bricks, Meccano, Mobilo, inter stars
- Accessories: people, animals, dinosaurs, vehicles, containers to fill and dump
Art Area
- Powder paint, ready mixed paint and block paints in a variety of colours, to include skin tones
- Textured and thickened paints
- Pots, pallets, trays, easels
- Brushes, in a variety of thicknesses and size
- A selection of objects to print with, include natural and everyday objects
- Paper and card in different shapes, sizes, textures and colours
- Adhesives – PVA, Pritt Sticks, paste, Sellotape, masking tape
- Tools – glue spreaders, scissors (left-handed and right-handed), stapler, hole punch
- A wide range of items for collage, including natural and reclaimed materials
- Assorted sized fabric pieces with different textures
- Pens, pencils, crayons, chalks, pastels and charcoal
- Items for three dimensional work – boxes, tubes, pots, trays, corks
Malleable materials
- Messy: cornflour and water, shaving foam, cooked pasta, porridge oats and water, jelly, baked beans
- Ice cubes
- Dry: lentils, Rice Crispies, twigs and leaves, feathers, corks, fir cones, pebbles, glitter
Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
- Counting, numbers and sorting - real objects and materials (shells, conkers, pebbles, leaves, fir cones, feathers, pasta shapes), different sized, coloured and shaped objects, sorting trays, pegs, numbers made out of different materials (plastic, foam, sand paper, wood), buttons and beads, cotton reels, calculators, telephones, calendars and diaries, counting and number books and puzzles, recipe books and menus
- Shapes and patterns - shapes made from different materials, pegboards, tap a shape games, beads of different shapes, sizes and colours, magnetic shapes, linking games (multi-link, unifix), construction sets, collage/junk modelling materials
- Measuring and weighing - sand/water timers, rulers, tape measures, sets of hand and foot prints, scales, real objects and natural materials, graded containers, stop clocks, thermometers, sand and water
- Time - calendars, diaries, stop clocks, timers, clocks, time line
- Money and shopping - real coins, tills, purses, baskets and bags, real items for use in a shop, bills, order forms and receipts, notepads and pens, clip boards, calculators, catalogues, scales, menus
- Games - dice games, matching, sorting, colour, shape and size games, shape, number, colour and texture dominoes, card games and lotto, puzzles
ICT
- Computer, colour printer, mouse, keyboard, disks, paper, CD-ROM, scanner, software including basic word processing and drawing package.
- Digital camera.
- Programmable toys.
Mark making or graphics area
- Paper – assorted sizes, shapes, colours and types
- Assorted ready made books – zigzag, stapled and staple-less
- Headed paper and office stationary
- Writing paper – lined and unlined
- Envelopes – used and unused
- Chalk board and chalks, clip boards, white boards and pens
- Telephone and note pads
- Examples of upper and lower case letters
- Other items: labels, files, forms, calendars, scissors, stapler, paper clips, rulers, erasers, Pritt stick, diaries, address book, sellotape, hole punch, fasteners , masking tape, pencil sharpener, post cards, felt tips, pencils, greeting cards, crayons, coloured pencils.
Role play
- Child-sized play furniture (cooker, fridge, cupboards, sink, table and chairs)
- Dishes and eating utensils reflecting diversity
- Play foods including natural and everyday foods
- Telephone, clock, books and magazines, note pads and pens, full length mirror, plants
- Cleaning resources (tea towel, dustpan and brush, vacuum cleaner, brush, duster)
- Dolls reflecting diversity
- Baby resources: cot, highchair, changing bag, baby bottles, baby carrier, pushchairs
- Dressing up clothes including multicultural clothes, 'work' clothes, hats and clothing that represent different genders
- Prop boxes to extend role play: shop, café, travel agents, baby clinic, doctors surgery, vets, garden centre, builders yard, car wash
Investigation and exploration
- Heuristic play baskets with objects (chains, wooden pegs, cotton reels, feathers, buttons, fir cones, stones, shells)
- Magnifiers, magnets, torches, coloured paddles
- Pouring equipment: jugs, containers, measuring cylinders, beakers
- Different materials: metal, wood, plastic, sandpaper, fabrics, paper, natural sponges
- Feely bags, weather boxes
- Living things: plants, animals, gardening resources
Sand and Water for either outside or inside
Materials for water play:
- Water tray, aprons, towels
- Funnels, cups, jugs, measuring cups, spoons, plastic tubing, squeezy bottles, siphons, funnels, water wheels, sieves
- Boats
- Fish, ducks, shells, pebbles
- Things that float and sink
- Bubbles, glitter, food colouring
Materials for sand play:
- Sand tray, dustpan and brush
- Spades, buckets, spoons, sieves, strainers, rake, funnels, jugs, containers, moulds
- Animals, bugs
- Natural resources such as pebbles, plants, bark, shells
Outside play
Paddling pools, buckets, outside tap, tubes, guttering, squirters, watering cans, hose pipes, paint brushes and rollers
Music Area
CD player, headphones, microphone, a variety of musical CDs (classical, popular, different cultures, songs sung in different languages, rhymes and songs)
Selection of musical instruments: triangles, bells, sand block, maracas, xylophone, tambourines, drums, claves, ethnic instruments, electronic keyboard
Dance props: scarves, ribbons
Book Area
Front facing book storage, wicker baskets, comfy reading chairs, bean bags, cushions, rug, cuddly toys
Books: a wide selection of books to include fiction, non fiction, books showing positive images of children and adults from different races, cultures, genders and disabilities, big books, hard back, flap, fabric, magazines, catalogues, photograph albums, pictures and posters, CD player, headphones, story CDs, story boards
Puppets, props representing familiar stories.
Physical Play
Babies
- blanket
- rug
- play gym
- push along toy
- balls
- sturdy things to pull themselves up on
- ramps for crawling
Toddlers
- ride on toys with no pedals
- large push/pull toys
- balls
- bean bags
- age appropriate climbing equipment
- slide
- balance beam
- tunnels
- large cardboard boxes
Pre-school
- slides
- climbing equipment
- monkey bars
- balls
- sports equipment
- wheeled toys
- tumbling mats
- skipping ropes
- bean bags
- parachute
- gardening resources
Over 5s
- balls
- bats
- skipping ropes
- hoops
- basket ball hoops
- slide
- gardening resources
- climbing frame
- sports equipment
- wheeled toys
- parachute
- gardening resources
Small world play
Rugs, builders tray, dolls house, furniture and people reflecting diversity, roadways, cars and trucks, dinosaurs, jungle animals, wild animals, farm buildings and animals, train set, mini beasts, wooden village.
