Early Childhood - Connecticut State Department of Education

Decisions About Practice Chapter 3
• Consider whether project areas should be
near electrical outlets, light sources and/or
water.
• Sinks and toilets may need to be lowered.
Consider installing assistive devices to
promote hygiene independence.
• Classrooms should be large enough for
at least 35 square-feet of usable space per
child.
• Children should be easily visible in all areas
to enable proper supervision.
• Model concern for the environment by
attending to common areas, such as the
entranceway, halls and outside.
Independence And Movement
Space should be adaptable, welcoming and organized.
It must allow children to make choices and easily access
materials. This allows children to feel some control over
their learning.
• For each center, plan the best number of
children to comfortably work in the space.
• Create areas that can serve more than one
purpose at different times of the day.
• Eliminate visual clutter. Plan carefully what
will be placed on boards and wall space.
• Use clear containers for storage, so items
are visible and easily organized.
• Use shelves, dividers, carpet and tables to
create discrete yet flexible work areas that
allow children to work alone or in small
groups, without concern that their work
will be disturbed.
• Find opportunities to place mirrors and
natural elements in different locations to
spark interest or a “new use.”
• Give each child a defined and labeled place
for personal belongings.
• Ease transitions by guiding children when
changes to the environment are made.
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OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT
The outdoor environment is essential to accomplishing
learning outcomes and fulfilling the need of children
to be active. Outside, children have the advantage of
fresh air, sunshine, room to move about and be loud.
Outdoor activities can foster the development of gross
motor skills, stimulate spontaneous play with friends,
and strengthen emerging abilities in all developmental
domains. These outdoor learning experiences also
present natural opportunities for scientific inquiry.
Suggestions for outdoor experiences that
promote physical growth, contribute to social/emotional
growth, and promote cognitive development follow.
Physical Growth. Encourage children to dig
and explore. Even the smallest area of grass offers a
wide array of possibilities for discovery and collecting.
Helping children to realize that living things are
everywhere is a way to spark discussion about care
and respect for our environment. Bring balls, buckets,
hoops and ribbon outside. Engage children in creating,
throwing, catching and other cooperative games to
challenge upper and lower muscles.
Social/Emotional Growth. Create a box of props
for the outdoors. Include hoses, hard hats, vehicles,
boxes and fabric to stimulate dramatic play possibilities.
From time to time suggest a favorite story as a possible
theme for outdoor play. Bring a tape player, sticks,
cymbals, class-made instruments, balloons, streamers,
etc. Children love to make music and to march.
Cognitive Development. Bring reading and
writing materials outdoors. Take advantage of what is
happening near the school to link literature, drawing and
research. For example, children who love construction
vehicles might eagerly draw a bulldozer or find the exact
piece of equipment in a resource book. Use outdoor
space for movement experiences. Create cooperative
games in which children can experiment with speed,
directionality and other large-muscle movement, such
as skipping, leap-frogging or crawling.