"We place enormous value on the role of the environment as a motivating and animating force in creating spaces for relations, options, and emotional and cognitive situations that produce a sense of well-being and security."Loris Malaguzzi, Reggio Emilia Italy.
The first step in creating an appropriate environment for infants, toddlers and preschool children is to examine how young children learn and develop. Each stage of development has unique characteristics that influence how a child will experience his or her environment.
For example, infants and toddlers learn about their world by acting on objects and materials in their environment. As the toddler feels the texture of a beach ball, pushes the air filled object and rolls it across the floor, he constructs an understanding of the ball. Because infants and toddlers learn by interacting with the environment, their space must be designed with many opportunities for physically exploring real materials. Varied materials are stored where the child can easily select them. Other items are placed where they are not visible but can be retrieved when a specific activity or individual need occurs.
Preschoolers are active learners who continue to examine materials while beginning to use objects in more complex combinations. They are developing symbolic representation as they take on roles and participate in socio-dramatic play. Their language explodes during this period as they try to find "labels" for the objects and people in their world. Language gives young children the power to question and find answers.
The environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning. Enabling environments encourage babies and young children to play because they feel relaxed, comfortable and ‘at home’ in them. When children feel emotionally safe and secure they are able to explore and find out about the place they are in and the things they can see, touch, manoeuvre or manipulate.
Indoor space needs careful planning as it needs to be flexible to accommodate children’s changing interests and needs. Resources should be of the highest quality. Books need to be attractive and well maintained and reflect children’s fascinations. Resources such as blocks for building with, felt pens, chalks or pencils for mark-making, clothes for dressing up in and small items such as cars, dolls and jigsaws should be accessible by children themselves.
To learn more about environments and Reggio Emilia approach book your place on the Reggio Emilia Approach workshop this February https://www.canavanbyrnechildcare.ie/training/early-years-practice/reggio-emilia
Also have a look at the environment's reflection tool through the following link http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/Early_Childhood_and_Primary_Education/Early_Childhood_Education/Aistear_Toolkit/The-learning-environment.html
