Building Dens

Yesterday, it rained. We still wanted to play outside so I suggested that we build a den to keep ourselves and the toys dry. My daughter, Betty, (who’s 3) wasn’t really sure how to start so I helped her to think of ideas. I found a piece of tarpaulin – I think it’s a ground sheet for an old tent – and we set to work thinking about how to create our den. We tried hanging it from the washing line but discovered that it was a little bit too short. We tried using two garden chairs but found that the den wasn’t big enough so we needed to work out how to use the chairs without them ending up inside the den. We found that by using clothes pegs to fix the tarpaulin to the chairs, it stayed in place. Betty then set to work organising and making the den cosy for her and her brother, Louie (who’s 1) to play in. We also put a couple of books in there to create a cosy space to read and escape the drizzly rain.

Today, continuing with the den theme, we had a look through our story books to see if we could find any books about dens. We found Percy the Park Keeper: After the Storm. In the story, an old oak tree has been blown down in a storm and the animals that had made the tree their home were left homeless. Percy helps to build them all a new home in a different tree. After reading this, my daughter decided to build dens for some of her cuddly animals. She spent some time planning out and creating the dens for her creatures, searching for things that were ‘just right’ for the creatures’ homes.

It was interesting to watch both of the children interacting whilst building the dens. Betty, as the oldest, took the lead and then helped Louie to build a den for his animal. He enjoyed finding things and showing them to her for her approval and then watching her as she showed him to use it for the home. Louie spent about twenty minutes on the task and then decided to go and play in the sandpit or potter about with his cars. Betty spent around two hours (yes – two hours!!) playing totally independently, going in and out of the den, talking to her creatures, checking that they and their dens were ok, rebuilding the dens, organising the animals and generally being completely lost in her own imagination.

Den building is such an obvious activity but it's often forgotten. Although most outdoor play and imaginative play should be child led, when children are lacking in confidence, it is useful for the adult to facilitate. By creating a den and helping the children to understand what a den is, this meant that Betty was the instigator of the following day's play when she suggested building dens for animals. I also feel confident that now both of the children have had this experience, they will be more likely to repeat the den building fun. 

Opportunities for Observation and Assessment of EYFS:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Making Relationships

Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Self-confidence and Self-Awareness

Communication and Language: Understanding

Communication and Language: Speaking

Physical Development: Moving and Handling

Literacy: Reading

Mathematics: Shape, Space and Measure

Understanding the World: The World

Expressive Arts & Design: Being Imaginative

Schemas: Positioning, Connection and Enclosure.