The document discusses how physical environments can indirectly guide young children's development. It explains that for infants and toddlers, classrooms should meet physical and social needs through cleanliness, sensory stimulation, and encouraging exploration. For 3-8 year olds, theories emphasize designing rooms to promote social interaction, active learning, order, and independence through clearly organized activity areas. Well-designed spaces are associated with benefits like lower stress, better behavior, play, and decision-making, while poor design can hinder achievement.

1. Guidance of Young Children
Tenth Edition
Chapter 4
Supportive Physical
Environments: Indirect
Guidance
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Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
• Explain how early childhood theory helps teachers
arrange classrooms to support children’s development
and behavior.
• Defend the idea that effective teaching, room design and
sensory stimulation are essential in guiding infants and
toddlers.
• Explain how a developmentally appropriate physical
environment in guiding 3 to 8-year old children is an
indirect form of guidance.

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Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
• Summarize the guidelines for developmentally
appropriate room design for 3- to 8-year old children.
• Explain how a time schedule, curriculum, activities and
materials are indirect guidance for 3- to 8-year-old
children.

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Physical Environments and Sensory
Stimulation for Infants and Toddlers

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Room Design for Infants and Toddlers:
Essential Ideas
• Should meet the child’s physical and social/emotional
needs
• Cleanliness is essential
• Spacious bathing and dressing areas
• Inspires pushing, pulling, rolling, emptying, and filling
safe, clean toys; and climbing on safe structures
• Encourages children to gaze at objects at their level and
to do messy, active things such as finger painting

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Why is Sensory Stimulation Important in
Infant Development
• A powerful avenue for infant toddler development
• Infants can coordinate information from different senses
• Sensory stimulation benefits infant sensory coordination
and brain development
• Helps meet emotional and social needs

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Theoretical Foundations for Early
Childhood Classroom Design

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Theoretical Foundations for Early
Childhood Classroom Design
• Theories focusing on the systems in which children
develop: Brofenbrenner’s theory on the ecology of human
development
• Theories focusing on how children construct knowledge:
Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky’s theories on knowledge
construction
• Theories focusing on psychological and emotional needs:
Erikson’s theory on psychosocial development and
Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs

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Developmentally Appropriate Physical
Environments for 3-To 8-Year-Olds

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ECE Classroom Designs Based on ECE
Theory are Characterized by the Following
• Sense of order: Well arranged, tidy, and organized rooms
convey order and comfort
• Social interaction: Set up to promote interaction among
children
• Making choices: Set up so that children can learn and
practice how to make wise choices
• Active learning: Encourages active learning

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Benefits of Well-Designed Spaces for
Children
• Lower levels of stress
• Fewer discipline problems
• More positive interaction among children
• Helps children feel independent and self-controlled
• Meets higher-order needs in Maslow’s hierarchy
• Develop better decision-making
• Better ability to initiate and engage in sophisticated
dramatic play

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Effects of Poorly Designed Rooms
• Communicates expectations of failure and lack of respect
• Contributes to poor academic achievement and behavior
problems
• Higher levels of stress

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Guidelines: Developmentally Appropriate
Room Design for 3- to 8-Year-Old Children

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Guidelines for Developmentally
Appropriate Rooms
• Organize the classroom into activity areas
• Arrange activity areas logically
• Create attractive and sensory-rich areas
• Use a variety of indirect strategies to make it easier for
children to work, play, and clean up in the classroom

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