Early Childhood Environment Analysis

Highlights from the article

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how educators in the early childhood field can create an environment for children that is beneficial to development and enhance their thinking and learning skills. The author states that over the years, more and more observations of early childhood programs across the U.S. and some other countries to see what environments help to convey knowledge better for children. The authors states a caution that, “…we have seen: whether in Alaska, Florida or Massachusetts, all programs are starting to look like an early childhood catalog. Centers do not reflect the identity of the families and communities” (Curtis and Carter, 34). They then goes on to say that many programs apply

the standards and curriculum so tediously that there is little creative thinking that involves culture of their environment and the individual-ness of families.

The first major point the authors discusses is how to “create environments with a vision for childhood.” Children learn and understand best when they are given opportunities that interest them. It is up to educators to harness that interest and redirect their imaginations and activeness toward important skills to help them achieve their maximum potential.

We also need to initially design spaces that can accommodate many different activities. The authors discuss creating temporary spaces for individuals or small groups of children to perform an activity. The example given was a removable screen to help give a sense of bounds for the children to visually see where their space ends. Another aspect is to organize the room according to logical grouping. The authors say that is helps in “group management” so children expects certain materials to be stored for accessibility. The authors remind educators to look at how their rules are restricting children and their learning. A few examples are “Don’t build those blocks higher than your shoulders,” and “Dishes belong in the dress-up area” when it might make sense for a child to put a bowl and spoon in the music area. As educators, we need to observe the learning environment children are in and make sure that we teach them to be creative and resourceful with materials and the space given. This would include moveable furniture and toys, space dividers, lightweight tables and other large motor equipment.
Children need to be able to use their whole bodies to move kinesthetically to learn, express themselves, develop strength and relieve stress.

The article also suggests having spaces where children can have work quietly. The authors suggest using dividers to create such spaces for children to have work together without distractions. Also, a private space to “get away” are important as well for children. Another suggestion is to have lots of “open-ended materials” for the children to play with like recyclables or different odd ends to display their creativity and use problem-solving skills for production purposes.

Critical analysis

I thought this article to be a great read for someone who is working in the early childhood program.

When people think about a room for children to reside, they do not always take into consideration all the aspects that go into making a room ideal for children. I agree whole-heartedly with what the authors are stating in the article. Environments should reflect what interests the children, as well as educators’ goals and objectives for a space. A developmentally appropriate space for children should reflect on both the educator and the children. There is no point in creating a space that is “perfect” for the teacher. If it does not meet the children’s needs; chaos will ensue. But as a teacher, I also understand the importance of maintaining a space that is orderly and flows nicely to keep my sanity. There is a happy medium that must be met in finding the right materials to be used, space and furniture arrangement, and overall flow of the room to satisfy everyone. But I do believe it is important to keep the needs of the children above the educator’s because without the children, there would be no job. With that being said, creating an environment for children that promotes their creativity with open-ended materials, and furniture that helps keep them centered, with like pillows and soft materials to calm down when needed, is very beneficial. An important key point that really stuck out to me was that educators sometimes forget why rules and regulations are in place. They are

so worried about making sure they “adhere to standards” that they are overlooking “the why.” I loved the rule example that the authors used about not building blocks higher than the child’s shoulders. Yes, I can see how it is a safety issue if every day, someone is constantly getting hit by falling blocks. But that can harm a child’s self-confidence if they think they should never build above and beyond. As educators, we need to explain why the rule is important, but also take the time to show the children that exploring new things like “how high can we build this tower, together?” Children should be exposed to bending rules sometimes if it benefits everyone involved to keep their dreams vivid.

Concluding summary

Again, I really thought this was a great article that exposed the whole truth about environments.

Sometimes, as educators, we think that we are doing a great job with the environment we are putting children in, but it is important that we take things from the child’s perspective as well. Children need a space that conforms to their needs and can be adjusted at any time. They need to understand how to make adjustments themselves, like pulling a curtain across to create a quiet space. Educators need to put materials that have multiple uses and different areas as well. This will help their imagination to think outside the box. Keeping creativity alive will also boost child’s development. When they are given time and a space to work quietly with others, with the help of a room divider, children are learning cooperating skills that benefit everyone. But I believe the most important point in this article is to keep educators thinking about children when they design a child’s environment. Don’t forget that the most important thing that can be done to help foster the child is not set unbendable restrictions on their environment. The more flexible and adjustable an educators views may be will provide a more positive environment for the children

involved.