January can feel small. Light fades early, routines restart and everyone — adults included — retreats a little. For young children, that instinct often shows up as den-building, hiding under tables or creating tiny “nests” for quiet play.
Early years professionals know these cosy retreats aren’t just cute. They’re a clever way for children to regulate during the winter months.
What We Mean by “Comfort Play”
Practitioners often use the term comfort play to describe children creating small, cosy spaces for calm, thinking and imaginative retreat.
It isn’t a new category of play. In early years literature, it overlaps with enclosure and enveloping schemas, sensory regulation, and coping spaces. Comfort play is simply a helpful umbrella term for familiar behaviours many children show throughout the year.
Why These Spaces Matter
Cosy corners and dens support:
🧠 Sensory regulation — reduced noise and visual input
💛 Emotional regulation — a safe base to regroup
🎭 Narrative play — perfect conditions for storytelling
✨ Autonomy — ownership over “my space”
Children aren’t “hiding” — they’re managing.
The Nanny’s Role
One of the simplest professional acts is to notice and protect these spaces instead of tidying them away.
Nannies can support comfort play by:
• offering blankets, cushions or cardboard
• respecting the child’s control of the space
• adding small invitations (books, figures, torches)
• explaining the value to parents when needed
It’s less about beautiful setups and more about psychological safety.
Winter and Wellbeing
Blue Monday may be more marketing than science, but winter is undeniably a time when families feel the squeeze — less daylight, more routine and often more emotional fatigue.
Comfort play becomes a quiet antidote: children shrink the world to a size that feels safe and manageable. It can also help the adult in the room. Cosy corners slow the rhythm of the day and give everyone pockets of calm.
Setting It Up at Home (Without Spending Much)
A few simple ideas that work in family settings:
• duvet cave + torch
• cardboard box house
• reading nook with a blanket
• pop-up tent
• small-world basket in a corner
Brands such as Yellow Door, Inspire My Play and Etta Loves offer resources that pair well, and many nannies curate their own versions through themed activity bags.
Final Thought
Children have always built caves and cosy corners. Winter just makes those instincts more visible — and more valuable. When nannies recognise and support comfort play, they’re not just allowing dens; they’re supporting regulation, imagination and mental wellbeing at a time of year when everybody needs a little extra softness.