Kids and Environment.

How Children Understand the Environment?

Young children strive to make sense of the world in which they live. They try to organize the visual images and concrete objects in their environment into meaningful systems. Children want to determine how the space works and what activities can happen in this place. Today's young children are spending a large number of hours in a "new" environment—child care. Some children who begin attending child care in infancy may spend as much as 12,000 hours in this setting. This massive number of hours in one environment demands that the space be carefully designed to create the "best" place possible for young children.

Emotional Environment
It has been suggested that the emotions of children are strongly influenced by the responsiveness of the caregiver during the first years of life. If the child's joy is reflected by the caregiver and the emotion is reciprocated, the child's security is strengthened. If the child's emotion is interpreted as annoying by the caregiver, the circuits become confused. A caring and responsive caregiver provides a positive climate for young children that will impact not only emotional security but also many aspects of cognitive development. Children who feel secure and supported will experiment, try new things, and express their ideas.

The appropriate emotional environment also respects young children, while understanding individual differences. This means that each child has a place to collect "valuable" things—their pictures and work are displayed in the classroom. There is a place where the child can retreat when things get too busy, or when he becomes tired.

Influence of Environment on Children's Behaviors
The environment in which young children live tells them how to act and respond. A large open space in the center of the classroom clearly invites young children to run across the area. If few materials are available to use, children will create interesting happenings, including conflict. If the procedures for using learning centers are not predictable and easily understood, the children will wander in and out of the areas with little involvement in play. The arrangement and materials in the environment will determine the areas where children focus their work. It will also influence the number of conflicts that occur or the way the group works together. If the materials are hard plastic, the children are invited to be rough with the objects with little concern for their treatment. If a beautiful flower arrangement is on the table, they will learn to visually examine the flowers and gently handle the delicate blooms. Children learn to be respectful of their environment if they have opportunities to care for beautiful objects and materials.