Ideas for Simplicity in Children's Environments

Photo by Tina Floersch on Unsplash

A communityplaythings.com article looks at simplicity by design for classroom design and décor, similar to the principles underlying the Montessori philosophy, using the Japanese tradition of wabi sabi to create an environment marked by clear spaces, natural substances, and a limited number of carefully chosen and arranged items. 

The article argues that the concept of simplicity, key to the wabi sabi approach, “can be surprisingly straightforward to put into practice, and it also brings many benefits to children’s well-being and development”.

·      Freeing up as much clear space as possible and decorating it with neutral colours creates a calming backdrop.

·      Simplifying the number of resources being offered allows children to see the available choices more easily.

·      A simplified environment offers opportunity to create eye-catching arrangements and to display resources to their best advantage.

·      Limiting items on display allows for frequent changes to spark interest and introduce new challenges

·      A simple, uncluttered environment is easier to keep clean.

The article notes, “Reframing our attitude to ‘things’ makes a useful contribution to the de-cluttering process. In her definitive book on wabi sabi for the Western readership, Beth Kempton suggests that we should stop regarding open shelves as storage, and start seeing them instead as the home for treasures (Kempton, 2018).” The wabi sabi tradition sees beauty in the mundane and in every day items. “In the environment of the early years setting, it’s surprising how shifting the position of a seldom-used resource, or grouping it with other objects to create a Reggio Emilia-style provocation, can spark new interest among the children.”

Considerations to introduce a wabi sabi attention to detail to an environment include:

·       How do things look in relation to each other? Do you have small windows or skylights that act as a frame to create an outdoor picture? How does the picture change with the weather, time of day or seasons? What can be seen beyond the frame of an open door, and how does this picture change? Draw the children’s attention to these visual relationships and wait to see what they make of them (a game of peekaboo through the door, perhaps?)

·       When arranging items and resources, consider how they balance each other visually. Look at different ways of combining horizontals and verticals; for example, tins of colored pencils (verticals) and wooden pencil boxes (horizontals). Explore arranging items according to "the rule of three". This is based on the theory that odd numbers attract the eye because they look more dynamic and less staged than even numbers.

·       The wabi sabi approach to colour focuses on naturals and neutrals. This makes a great backdrop for splashes of colour. Try to avoid grouping lots of brightly coloured resources together, instead placing just one against a neutral background (a plain wooden shelf, a cream painted wall). This will draw the children’s attention far more effectively than a jumbled mass of color.

·       Choose secret places for small items – a tiny picture on the wall above the skirting; a family of miniature toy mice in a corner behind the book box; some colorful polished crystals tucked in a basket of pebbles. Make a list of ideas, ring the changes, and give the children hints when there is a new hidden treasure to look out for.

·       Check whether items are getting old and worn. Can you repair them, to avoid having to buy new? Involve the children in mending, and celebrate how you have all worked together to give this well-used item a new lease on life.

This approach also incorporates the concept of bringing nature indoors and creating a seamless passage between indoors and outdoors. Suggestions include:

·       Find ways of bringing light and weather indoors. For example, do you have a window through which beams of sunlight dapple the floor, a corner where shade deepens as the sun goes in or patio doors that look out across a shrubbery? Where possible, make sure that furniture does not obstruct such spaces and draw the children’s attention to these natural phenomena. 

·       Beth Kempton describes the seasons as "a kind of wabi sabi metronome", and explains that the four seasons are ‘woven into the fabric of everyday life’ in Japan (Kempton, 2018). Mirror this engagement with the changing seasons through nature displays, choosing seasonal colors for cushions, blankets, rugs and artwork, eating seasonal food and celebrating festivals that reflect the natural essence of each season.

·       The transience of weather is important to wabi sabi because it reminds us to be present in the moment. Help children to notice the weather and its changes. Be aware of how weather and the seasons affect children, and allow the weather to dictate behaviors and activities. If windy days make your group ‘buzzy’, spend time outdoors dancing with the wind. Be slow and lazy like cats when the weather is very hot, and cuddle up cozily for stories on a grey winter afternoon.

·       Use nature and natural items to bring a variety of textures into the setting. Wood shelving and floors, coir doormats, ceramic tiles, marble blocks, metal, wood, terracotta and wicker containers, linen, cotton and woolen curtains, rugs, and cushions are just some of the natural substances that introduce texture—and are generally more eco-friendly than synthetic materials.

·       Bring nature indoors with flowers, foliage, twigs, bark, grasses, feathers, pebbles, shells, rocks, crystals, pinecones, conkers, nuts and seeds. Use natural items to reflect the seasons and create interesting provocations.