Hythe
Nursling
Basingstoke
Southampton
HytheA Helpful Guide to Nursery Visits
Choosing a nursery is one of the first big decisions many families make, and it can feel like there’s a lot to take in. Every setting is different, every visit feels slightly different, and it’s not always easy to know what you should be looking for.
This guide is designed to help you feel more confident when visiting nurseries. It will help you understand what to notice, what questions might be useful, and how to get a clearer sense of whether a setting feels right for your child and your family.
It isn’t a rigid checklist, and not every part will feel equally relevant to every family. You can simply take from it what feels helpful and leave what doesn’t, using it as a gentle guide rather than a set of rules.
Rather than focusing only on checklists or facilities, it’s about helping you notice what matters most to you, and giving yourself permission to trust how a place feels as much as what it offers.
We hope you find it useful, and that it gives you a helpful starting point as you begin thinking about your visits.
Before You Visit
If this is your first time visiting nurseries, it's completely normal to feel unsure about what to expect. Many parents tell us they don't know what questions to ask or what they should be looking for - and that's absolutely okay. A nursery visit isn't a test, and there isn't a checklist of 'right' or 'wrong' things to notice.
If you can, we'd always recommend visiting more than one nursery. Every setting has its own personality, routines and approach, and comparing a few different environments can help you discover what matters most to you and your family. While practical things like location, opening hours and facilities are important, it's often the atmosphere and the people that stay with you long after you've left.
Above all, don't feel under pressure to make a decision on the day. The right nursery is the one where you can genuinely begin to picture your child feeling happy, safe and excited to return.
Looking Beyond the Facilities
Every nursery has its own environment, resources and routines, and these all play an important part in your child's experience. But while it's easy to compare the things you can see, some of the most important qualities are much harder to measure.
As you look around, take a moment to notice how the nursery feels. Are children happily engaged in their play? Do practitioners take the time to listen, encourage and interact warmly? Does the atmosphere feel calm, welcoming and somewhere you can picture your child feeling safe, happy and confident?
Often, it's these everyday moments that leave the biggest impression long after you've left.
Our Approach
We usually arrange visits during the main parts of the nursery day, outside of meal and rest times, so that you can see children fully engaged in their normal activities. This means you’re more likely to see learning, play, and interactions between children and practitioners as they naturally happen throughout the day.
We don’t create a separate “show around version” of the nursery, because we believe the most helpful visits are the ones where you can see real interactions, real routines, and the natural atmosphere of the setting.
Our aim is for you to leave with a clear and honest impression of what life at Little Shipmates feels like on an ordinary day.
Relationships Matter
A nursery is much more than its building or resources - it's the people who bring it to life. Warm, trusting relationships help children feel secure, build confidence and develop a sense of belonging, creating the foundation for learning and development.
As you look around, notice how practitioners interact with the children in their care. Do practitioners take time to listen, encourage and communicate in ways that help children express themselves? Are they listening as well as speaking? Do children seem comfortable approaching them for reassurance, support or simply to share an exciting discovery?
Children don't need constant entertainment to be happy. Often, the strongest sign of a nurturing nursery is seeing children who feel safe enough to explore independently, knowing that caring adults are close by whenever they're needed.
Our Approach
We believe strong relationships are built through everyday interactions. You'll often see our practitioners sitting, kneeling or crouching alongside the children, taking time to listen, ask open questions and encourage them to explore their own ideas. In many of our rooms, verbal communication is supported with sign language too, helping children to express themselves in different ways.
You'll also notice that our practitioners don't always step in straight away. We encourage children to build confidence and independence by giving them the time and space to explore, while always remaining close by to offer reassurance and support whenever it's needed. During your visit, we hope you'll see the warm relationships our team has with the children in their care, along with the genuine conversations they have with families at drop-off and collection, helping everyone work together to give each child the very best start.
Questions Worth Asking
It's completely normal to arrive at a nursery visit without a long list of questions. In fact, many parents tell us they only think of the important ones once they're driving home!
Every family values different things. Some prioritise flexibility around working hours, while others are looking for a particular approach to learning, outdoor play or communication. The most important questions are the ones that help you understand whether a nursery is the right fit for your child and your family. There are no right or wrong questions - only the ones that help you feel informed, reassured and confident in your decision.
Don't worry if you don't think of everything during your visit. It's perfectly natural for questions to come to mind afterwards, and taking a little time to reflect often helps you decide what you'd like to know before making your decision.
Our Approach
Every visit at Little Shipmates is a little different because every family is different. Rather than following a rigid script, we encourage conversations to develop naturally as we walk around the nursery, answering questions as they arise and taking time at the end to discuss anything else that's on your mind, from funding and availability to your child's individual needs.
We don't expect you to remember everything during your visit, and we know that some of the best questions only come to mind afterwards. That's why we always encourage families to get back in touch, whether by phone or email. Choosing a nursery is an important decision, and we're here to help you feel informed and confident at every stage of the process.
Every Family is Different
There is no single “perfect” nursery, because every family has different priorities, routines and needs. What feels right for one child may not feel right for another, and that’s completely normal.
Some families place most importance on outdoor space and physical activity. Others focus on communication, flexibility, or how closely a nursery follows their child’s individual interests and routines. Many are simply looking for a place where their child feels happy, settled and secure.
Rather than trying to find the “best” nursery, it can be more helpful to focus on finding the nursery that feels like the right fit for your child and your family. When that happens, most of the smaller decisions tend to fall into place naturally.
Our Approach
We understand that choosing a nursery is a big decision, and that every family is looking for something slightly different. That’s why we never expect families to make a decision based on one visit, and we’re always happy for you to take your time, ask questions, and visit more than once if it helps.
We’re also comfortable with the fact that we may not be the right fit for every family. What matters most to us is that you feel confident and reassured in whichever nursery you choose, and that your child will be happy, settled and well cared for.
If you do feel that Little Shipmates might be right for your family, we’ll be here to support you through the next steps at your pace, with no pressure to make a quick decision.
Can You Picture Your Child Here?
By the time you’ve visited a few nurseries, most of the practical questions will have been answered. What often matters most next is how each setting felt when you were there.
When you look back on your visit, try asking yourself a simple question: can you picture your child here?
Not in a perfect moment, or a staged activity, but in the everyday rhythm of nursery life - arriving in the morning, exploring with friends, sitting with a practitioner, having lunch, or being comforted if they need reassurance.
For many families, the decision becomes clearer when they stop focusing on comparing details and start imagining their child being part of the environment they’ve seen.
If that feeling is there, it’s usually worth paying attention to. And if it isn’t yet, that’s completely normal too - sometimes it takes more than one visit, or seeing a setting at a different time of day, for that sense of clarity to develop.
