Nursery by Design: Creating space for learning and belonging
What if nursery design could change children's lives?
Children can spend up to ten hours a day in early years settings. Every colour, corner, sound, material and outdoor space shapes how they play, learn, rest, relate to others and see themselves in the world. Yet too many nurseries are still designed around trends, adult expectations or Pinterest-perfect aesthetics rather than what children actually need to thrive.
Nursery by Design challenges the idea that environments are simply a backdrop to learning. Instead, it shows how design itself becomes part of the curriculum.
Drawing on the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF)'s pioneering approach to social justice pedagogy, this practical and thought-provoking guide explores how nursery spaces can actively support belonging, wellbeing, sustainability and children's rights. From lighting and acoustics to outdoor play, flexible spaces, and inclusive design, the book reveals how small, everyday decisions can have a lasting impact on children, educators, and communities.
This is not a book about expensive architecture or fashionable interiors. It is a book about creating environments that work for children. Calm spaces. Meaningful spaces. Sustainable spaces. Spaces where every child feels safe, capable and valued.
Inside, you'll discover:
- LEYF's five principles for designing nurturing early years environments
- Practical tools and reflective prompts for auditing your setting
- Ideas for creating calmer, more inclusive indoor and outdoor spaces
- Approaches to sustainability that go beyond token gestures
- Ways to strengthen wellbeing, agency, relationships and deep play through design
- Guidance for leaders, educators and designers working together to create long-term change
Essential reading for nursery leaders, educators, designers, policymakers and anyone passionate about early childhood, Nursery by Design offers a powerful new vision for what early years environments can and should be.
Because high-quality spaces are not a luxury. They are a right.
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