The Built Environment and Children’s Development

Children’s interactions with physical settings tend to be direct and easy to observe. For the infant who delights in exploration and movement and the preschooler who strives to master physical skills, the immediate environment is the primary medium for learning. Moreover, attachments to beloved objects and places are central to the emotional life of the young child. As time goes on, exposure to a variety of group and institutional settings leads to new understandings about social roles and norms in the world beyond the home. The arrangement of classroom space, for example, communicates expectations for behavior that are reinforced by institutional policies.

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