Environment 5

Last one… How do you think this environment can influence social-emotional development? What sorts of opportunities does it provide?

This environment includes:

• A couch that allows for a child and adult to sit together, to increase communication and relationships;
• A good space to be responsive to a child’s emotions if they are upset;
• A place to respond when children are upset or displaying challenging behaviors and need a quieter space.

Now that we’ve looked at a variety of environments, what could be added to the environments to support more individual needs? For example, what environmental factors might be added for a child who has a hearing impairment or an older toddler with mobility impairments?

This is a great start to thinking about how the physical environment impacts social-emotional development. You can take Handout 4, on infant and toddler environments, back to your classroom to use as you work on your own classroom environment.