19.4: Physical Environments Supporting Social-Emotional Development
- Page ID
- 173916
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Supporting Social-Emotional Development in Environment Design
Childcare centers must also consider how the environment can be designed to support social-emotional development. If the environment is set up to make it easy for children and caregivers to make eye contact and communicate with each other, caregivers can be emotionally and physically available to children and the children can develop a secure base for learning. Care routines are more emotionally satisfying in environments that are arranged for interaction and the children's participation. The environment influences everyone's moods—children and teachers alike—and the amount of stress experienced in the childcare setting. An environment with ample fresh air, peaceful colors, different kinds of lighting, places to move freely, and easy access to play materials promotes a sense of calm that allows children and teachers to focus on exploring and learning together.[1]
Caregivers can arrange the physical environment in many ways to scaffold and support peer interactions and relationships. Environments should provide spaces for small groups of children to explore materials and each other. Non-mobile infants who cannot physically move closer to peers or see peers should be placed on their backs, 1 to 3 feet apart at various times during the day so they can see and hear each other.[1]
Additional Environment Suggestions to Support Social-Emotional Development:
- Provide soft, easy-to-hold toys which allow infants and toddlers to give and take toys with other children.
- Create individual, small group, and open spaces in the environment.
- Offer places where children can feel "alone" (e.g., individual cardboard boxes, carpeted riser boxes, cubby spaces).
- Provide small areas where a child can be with 1 or 2 friends and open spaces where groups of children can gather.
- Make a collection of small cards with each child's picture.
- Stock multiples of popular toys so children can engage in parallel and associative play (this also reduces peer conflict).
[1] California Department of Education, 2019 Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Program Guidelines, Second Edition by the California Department of Education is used with permission
[2] Infant Environment by Jennie Powell is used with permission