06/25/2008

Child-Scaled Environments

In his article "Image and Scale — Child Care Facility Design" (which is one of eight articles in Exchange's online CEU Physical Environment and Room Arrangement), Gary Moore observes that:

"The scale of the environment can influence the feelings and performance of children.... Young children play on the floor, and are occupied with activities that involve tactile and visual interaction with surfaces and materials around them. It is important that their environment consist of materials that are child scaled and inviting.... Children and adults also feel intimidated by large, undifferentiated spaces. Without elements that relate space to human size, spaces will remain ambiguous and uncomfortable. The shape of space and, in particular, the relation between size and ceiling height should reflect the nature of the activity and number of children to be accommodated."

Moore goes on to offer specific suggestions to accomplish proper scale. Here are just a few of his ideas:

• Break up spaces according to modified open space to provide resource-rich activity pockets for children.
• Ceiling heights should not exceed normal residential height (e.g., 8 feet in the U.S. or 2.4 meters in the rest of the world) to contribute to a child-scaled environment.
• Design outdoor spaces according to modified open space and activity pockets.
• Blank walls should have texture, graphics, murals, tack boards, or display shelves added to them.
• Vary ceiling heights (e.g., the under and over parts of lofts) between 4 feet and 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 meters) to fit the nature of the activities to be accommodated.
• Provide some child-sized spaces (e.g., quiet nooks) where adults must kneel, and some level changes where children, even the youngest infants, can crawl up to be eye to eye with adults.

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Physical Environment and Room Arrangement is one of 21 Exchange article collections that you can read to receive a CEU from University of Wisconsin-Stout. Other CEU modules are:

• Outdoor Play Environments
• Food and Nutrition Challenges
• Literacy in the Early Years
• Serving Children with Special Needs
• Managing Challenging Behaviors
• Math in the Early Years
• Brain Research Implications for Early Childhood
• Involving Parents in Your Program
• Observation and Assessment
• Reggio Emilia Learning Experiences
• Making Play Work
• Social and Emotional Development
• Leadership in Early Childhood
• Supervising Early Childhood Staff
• Training Early Childhood Staff
• Evaluating Early Childhood Programs
• Marketing Child Care Services
• Trends in Early Childhood Education
• Managing Money
• Maintaining a Safe Environment

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For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

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