DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPROATE ENVIRONMENT 2

Developmentally Appropriate Environment for Pre-school Children
The environment a child grows up in has a profound effect on their social, physical,
emotional, and cognitive development. For instance, it has been proven that children who grow
up in an environment that allows them to engage in quality physical activity enjoy many health
benefits in adulthood such as reduced risk of being obese or overweight. The appropriateness of
a child’s development environment depends on their age (Smith et al., 2015). Pre-school children
(aged between 3 and 5 years) are characterized by intense enthusiasm, energy, and desire to learn
everything that they can (Nixon, 2012). It is also at this stage that they acquire the skills required
for starting school. It is, therefore, important that the environment that they spend most of their
time in be suitable for acquiring life skills, knowledge, and independence that they will need
when they start going to school.
The environment can either be indoors or outdoors. Since pre-school children spend as
much time indoors as they do outdoors, both environments should be able to meet their
development needs (Smith et al., 2015). The outdoor environment should have appropriate
surfaces for playing such as sand and smooth grass. There should also be adequate shade so that
the kids can continue playing even when it is hot outside. Given the important role that play
plays in the development of pre-school children, the outdoor environment should have a lot of
playing equipment and materials that cater for the needs of the children. The indoor environment
(often a room) should be kept clean at all times and well lit. Preferably, the light should be
natural. The room should also be spacious enough for easy movement of the kids and divided
into sections for different children activities (Smith et al., 2015). For instance, there should be an
area for drama play, reading, and playing music. If there is no free room for the children, items

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPROATE ENVIRONMENT 3
should be removed to create space for their play. The room’s walls should have different paints
to foster the imagination of the kids.
Whether it is indoors or outdoors, pre-school children need appropriate equipment and
materials to meet their development needs. The materials and equipment should be safe to use
and also challenging enough to encourage the children to experiment, explore, and promote
discovery and action. They should also be able to stimulate different skills and enhance their fine
and gross motor skills (Van Hoorn et al., 2014). Some of the materials that they need to foster
their imagination/creative skills include art supplies, collage materials, different paper sizes, and
markers. For physical and motor development they may need balls and climbing materials. For
dramatic play they may need full length mirror, men and women’s clothes, and miniature
cooking materials.
In preparing both indoor and outdoor spaces for the pre-school children as well as the
equipment and materials that they use, it is important to put into consideration their health,
safety, and general well-being (Van Hoorn, 2014). In the indoor environment the furniture
should be sturdy so that the kids do not risk physical injury when using it. The equipment should
be in good condition (not broken), should not have sharp edges. If there are tricycles that they
will be using there is need to have helmets for their protection. There should also be enough
water and soap for washing their hands to prevent spread of germs.
Pre-school children are highly imaginative and quick and eager learners. That is why this
age is very important for their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. The
environment where they conduct their activities should not only be safe for them but also
suitable enough to help them develop important skills that they will need at school.

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPROATE ENVIRONMENT 4

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPROATE ENVIRONMENT 5

References

Nixon, H. (2012). Preschool Children’s Development. Identity, Community, and Learning Lives
in the Digital Age, 163.
Smith, P. K., Cowie, H., & Blades, M. (2015). Understanding children’s development. John
Wiley & Sons.
Van Hoorn, J. L., Monighan-Nourot, P., Scales, B., & Alward, K. R. (2014). Play at the center of
the curriculum. Pearson.