Early Learning Environments – Why it is important?

When it comes to a Child’s early learning experience, there a number of factors that have influence, be it parents, caregivers, and other children.   However, the factor with the largest scope in the development of a child is the early learning environment.

The environment is often referred as “the third teacher” after parents and educators and is a mix of spaces and context in which a young child grows and learns. Meanwhile, the environment can be a child’s home, the outdoors, or a classroom.

Here are some of the characteristics of a learning environment for positive learning and right development in children.

Environments should be welcoming and interesting.

Having homey features in a classroom environment helps children feel more comfortable and can help their ability to learn. Once a feeling of comfort has been established, there can also be a variety of new and interesting areas and features – some level of uncertainty and novelty generates intellectual arousal and interest.

Different parts of an environment can have different stimulation levels

Various parts of the environment/classroom have a direct effect on how children play. For example, large areas encourage movement and use of space and closed areas with more soft features lend themselves to reading or discovery activities.

An effective learning environment encourages learning through play 

An effective environment will also be responsive, containing features that involve all five senses and provoke thinking, open-ended outcomes, and creativity. For example, consider a nature table, an indoor fixture with branches, sticks, leaves, and perhaps some simple dolls or figures. There are textures, smells, things to see, and things to compare and play within such an environment.

The social nature of the environment is also important

Does the environment contribute to the social interaction between children or does it inhibit it? A preschool room should have more open space, collaborative activities, and stations or areas of interest. Social interaction between children gives them access to different perspectives while playing and gives them the opportunity to learn to interact.

Throughout our lives, the brain re-wires itself based on experiences and different environments. This is why rich environments in these early stages of development are so important. Not only are children learning new things in new environments, their brains are constantly applying knowledge of past experiences to newer ones!