Arranging Indoor Environments

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Feel free to copy or distribute this resource, adapted from the NACCRRA online Initial Training course

© 2010 National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies

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Table of Contents

Arranging the Indoor Environment ............................................................................................................... 3

Home-like .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Color .......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Natural Elements ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Softness ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

Light and Sound ........................................................................................................................................ 5

Diversity .................................................................................................................................................... 5

Principles of Room Arrangement .............................................................................................................. 6

Pathways and Traffic Flow ........................................................................................................................ 6

Supervision ................................................................................................................................................ 6

Other considerations: ............................................................................................................................... 8

Storage Areas ............................................................................................................................................ 9

Family Communication Areas ................................................................................................................... 9

Learning Centers and Areas by Age Group/Program .................................................................................. 10

Arranging Learning Centers ........................................................................................................................ 11

Integrating computers ............................................................................................................................ 12

Quiet Combinations ................................................................................................................................ 12

Selecting Furniture and Equipment ............................................................................................................ 13

Shelving ................................................................................................................................................... 13

Tables and Chairs .................................................................................................................................... 13

Guidelines for Furniture Heights ............................................................................................................. 14

Selecting child-size furniture for learning centers .................................................................................. 14

Selecting Small Equipment and Materials .................................................................................................. 16

Toys and Materials for Specific Age Groups ............................................................................................... 18

Assessing the New Room Arrangement...................................................................................................... 23

Inclusive Environments ............................................................................................................................... 26

Adapting Centers and Activities for Children with Special Needs .............................................................. 28

Creating Print-Rich Environments ............................................................................................................... 30

Appendix: Making Playdough With Children .............................................................................................. 31

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Arranging the Indoor Environment

Think of how you feel when you enter an arcade, all the color and loud sounds can be distracting. Think about a room with warm colors, soft furniture and interesting decorations, how does it make you feel? A home-like environment with pictures of family and friends, decorations and items that represent your families’ culture, elements from nature like plants and aquarium create and a variety of interesting materials that are easy to reach and use creates a safe, comfortable place for exploring and learning.

Home-like

Children show higher rates of learning in environments that are familiar and home-like. Environments that feel institutional and impersonal can limit learning. To make the environment more home-like, include items such as:

Family photos of the children and staff in your program

Table or floor lamps (make sure they meet licensing fire and safety standards and cords are secured)

Framed works of art

Home decorations like vases of flowers, baskets etc.

Easy chairs or couches

Pillows and blankets

Color

Research shows that children are over-stimulated by environments high in bright colors. This

over-stimulation can get in the way of learning. Look at all of the color in the room and notice

the total experience. Look at:

Walls

Artwork, including children’s

Rugs

Furnishing

Decorations

Toys and materials

Storage bins

Displays including books

When you decrease the color in your room, it draws the attention of both adults and children to the most important focus, the children’s works of art.

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Natural Elements

Children learn from investigating the world around them but often do not have many opportunities to explore the natural world. Bringing natural materials into your program exposes them to new things, helps them be curious about the world around them and adds warmth to your room. To bring nature into the environment, include items such as:

Plants that are non-toxic. Herbs such as basil, lemon grass and oregano are easy to grow, safe for children and their smell provides an interesting sensory experience.

Small animals, such as hermit crabs, lizards or fish

Shells, rocks, pine cones and other natural materials that can be used for science, math and art activities

Wooden furniture

Baskets or other wood ornaments and containers

NOTE: Make sure that any materials you bring into your program meet all licensing, policy and fire and safety standards.

Softness

A soft environment helps children feel more secure. Children who feel safe and comfortable in their environment can explore their environment freely. Spending quiet moments in a small cozy area or rocking in a chair allow children to recharge.

To add softness to the environment, you could include:

Stuffed chairs and couches

Hammocks

Rugs and carpets

Stuffed animals

Pillows, crib mattress or mat with fabric coverings that can be easily cleaned

Blankets or quilts

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Light and Sound

Studies show that fluorescent lighting has a negative impact on learning. Using table and floor lamps will increase incandescent lighting and provides inviting pools of soft light. Natural light from windows brightens the room and works especially well in art and science areas.

What types of sounds do you hear in your classroom? Are there areas that can be noisy even without the sound of children? Spaces near heating/cooling vents or with walls adjacent to hallways, bathrooms or mechanical rooms may have periodic noises that can be disruptive to quiet activities like reading but work just fine for noisy activities such as dramatic play.

Music is extremely important in early childhood environments but a continuous stream of “background” music can be distracting, especially if it is loud. Music that is too loud or that can be heard throughout the room during activity times can make talking and listening difficult and interfere with important language development opportunities.

Diversity

The environment you provide for children should reflect the cultural diversity of the families in your program as well as all kinds of cultures. To create an environment that reflects diversity, include pictures and decorations such as:

Pictures of the children and families in your program as well as pictures showing different types of families. Create a home-like atmosphere by displaying family photos in frames set on shelves or hung throughout the room

Pictures and images showing persons from different ethnic/racial groups doing everyday tasks, a balance of men and women doing jobs both inside and outside the home and images of elderly persons of various backgrounds and persons who are differently-abled doing work or engaged in different activities.

Donated items from families that reflect their culture such as fabric, wall décor or empty food containers or cooking utensils that can be put in the dramatic play area.

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Principles of Room Arrangement

Physically define boundaries with low shelving units or other pieces of furniture or

equipment.

Separate noisy areas like block-building from quiet areas like reading and writing.

Locate centers that would benefit from being near one another together.

Locate centers that need protection or seclusion in corners.

Build pathways that allow easy access to centers and control traffic flow.

Make sure children can be seen (and supervised) from any vantage point in the room

Include storage spaces for children’s and staff are belonging, comfortable places for adults to sit and hold children and a communication area for families.

Pathways and Traffic Flow

Create smaller entrances to centers for areas that need “protection”. Create larger more flowing entrances for centers that combine well (e.g. blocks and dramatic play), or that can accommodate a larger number of children

Make sure there is enough room around children’s storage areas for families to easily get to their child’s belongings

Large open spaces may encourage running and other play unsafe for indoors.

Keep potentially “messy” areas like art and blocks away from areas pathways; wet paint could get bumped into and a floor covered with blocks is a tripping hazard

Supervision

Place taller shelves along walls and shorter shelves and other furniture and materials like tables and dramatic play furniture on the outside of centers so that it will be easier to see over or through them.

Place centers that are easier to supervise and clean up such as table toys/manipulatives near the pick-up/drop-off area. When you need to communicate with families, you can offer interesting activities for children and make it easier to supervise children while sharing information with families

Supervision vantage points (the place in the room where to can see all or most of the room) are great places to place centers where you will offer small group or special project activities.

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Bathroom

Water

Entrance

Supervision vantage points and room arrangement:

A good layout might be:

Good place for opening and closing activities when centers may be limited

Family communication area outside door provides

uninterrupted time to look at information

Blind area, centers here could not

be in child use if provider remains

mostly near the vantage point

(pick-up/drop-off)

Second provider could supervise

blind area, if there is only one

provider, you will need to

consider that when determining

room layout

Fine for children who

need minimal

assistance, such as

preschool or school

age

Blocks Dramatic Play

Table/ manipulatives

Quiet area Reading Writing

Art Sand & Water Woodworking

Child’s storage

area

Science Math

During learning

centers, provider

can move through

the room and

provide supervision

for all areas

Areas may need to

close during pick-

up/drop-off for

adequate supervision

Bathroom/Water

Vantage Point

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Changing the vantage point changes how you think about the layout:

If you change the vantage point, the layout might be better like this:

Other considerations:

Age group - If you have younger children, their needs are different than preschool or school age. Infants need space for cribs, eating and for diaper changing. Toddlers and two’s need space for diaper changing and some may be toilet learning. You will need to be able to stay close to the bathroom to provide needed help or to change diapers while still supervising

Art Sand and Water

Quiet area Reading Writing

Blocks Dramatic Play Woodworking

Table/ manipulatives

Science Math Child’s

storage area

This will bring families

into your room. You

will need to make sure

you do not turn your

back on the children

when talking to families

You are now better able to

supervise the alcove during

pick-up and drop-off or

during small group activities

If the bathroom entrance is

here, check for blind spots

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children. For more information refer to the lesson Arranging Environments and Activities for Infant and Toddler’s and the resource “Arranging Environments for Infants and Toddlers”,

Setting-Consider the setting you are in when arranging the environment. In an FCC home, you may decide to integrate your centers into your home’s living space, (e.g. reading and manipulatives in the living or family room, art in the kitchen). Shared space in an elementary school for school age may mean you need to set up and put away materials daily.

Storage Areas

Placing storage areas for children’s belongings near the entrance may make it easier for families to pick-up and drop-off children, but may create a “cluttered” entrance area. Consider moving the area to a place in the room that is out of the way of heavy traffic and will bring parents into your program.

Space for adult personal belongings needs to be out of the reach of children to protect them from potentially harmful things.

Designate a space for extra supplies and materials that is easily accessible to staff. If storage space is limited in the child activity areas, create a place to keep a bin or box of the most important supplies. Cleaning supplies and other potentially harmful items must always be out of the reach of children.

Place a chair or bench near children’s storage areas so parents have a place to put on shoes or boots, sit and wait for their child to finish an activity or just enjoy watching their child engaged in your program.

Family Communication Areas

Bulletin boards should be “family friendly” and in a place where adults can take time and read the information posted. Include lesson/activity plans, schedules, menus, newsletters and other important family information. Decorate with children’s work or picture of the children engaged in activities. Remember to keep the information current.

Use a small table or shelf for displaying children’s work.

Consider using a small white board for daily messages to parents.

If space allows, include a comfortable chair for adults to sit in.

Use a basket or container for parent information and brochures

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Learning Centers and Areas by Age Group/Program

Infants

Areas for eating, sleeping and changing Gross-motor activity area literacy Dramatic play Manipulative play Sensory play

Toddlers and Two’s

Book Art Food experiences Dress-up Block Sand and water Music Toy Animals to care for

Preschool Reading Writing Blocks Toys and games/manipulatives Cooking Dramatic play Music and movement Sand an water Discovery/science/nature Computers (integrated into centers) Art Woodworking

School Age

Reading corner Homework and writing center Game tables Cooking and nutrition area Construction zone Science and nature center Performing arts center Club meeting areas Computer area

Family Child Care

Reading/quiet area Art/creative play area Sand/water play area Pretend play area Small-muscle play area

All Programs Storage for children’s personal belongings Family communication area

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Arranging Learning Centers

Center Combines Well With: Considerations

Art Dramatic play

Literacy areas

Writing

Math and Science

Woodworking

Near water source for clean-up

Tile floor for clean up

Smaller area will work for infants/toddlers but preschool and school age children need more space

Discovery/Science/ Nature

Math

Writing

Art

Sand and Water

Near electrical outlets for aquariums etc.

Light or space for plants helpful

Reading Writing

Art

Needs good source of lighting

Comfortable for children and adults

Blocks Dramatic Play Noisy area

Needs space for building large structures

Include both hard and soft surfaces

Keep away from flow of traffic to protect building structures

Consider all materials in center

Sand and Water Discovery/Science/ Nature

Art

Floor surface should be easy to clean

Sand may wear down the finish on waxed floors

Writing Reading

Art

Need space for displaying writing samples

Toys and games/ manipulatives

Blocks

Math

Easy to supervise, placing near area where families pick up/drop off children makes talking to families easier while maintaining supervision

Music and Movement

Art

Dramatic Play

Noisy area

Need electrical source for CD player

Infant and Toddler’s need plenty of indoor space for movement

Woodworking Art

Blocks

Noisy area

Requires close (physically) supervision

Not appropriate for infants and toddlers

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Integrating computers

Art- There are many software programs that allow children to design. Being near art supplies

allows children to enhance computer creations. Remember, art can and should be messy so

you will need to keep the computer away from paint, water or other materials that may

damage it.

Writing- If a printer is available, children can write books, design a menus and signs for

dramatic play, or just explore letters and words. If you cannot print from the computer,

consider using a flash drive to save child’s work and print from another computer.

Science- Older children may enjoy a “Science and Technology” center that includes computers.

Reading-Using head phones will minimize the sound from computer programs and games

Quiet Combinations

These centers work well next to each other to create quiet areas:

Writing

Reading/Literacy

Small manipulative area

such as a small table for

two children

These centers work well in areas with quiet centers. While there may be a great deal of

conversation in these centers, they are still relatively quiet:

Math

Science/Discovery/Nature

Art

Sand and Water

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Selecting Furniture and Equipment

When choosing furniture for an early childhood program consider:

Safety in construction and design

Ability to be moved

Durability

Ability to be cleaned/sanitized

Appropriateness to children’s developmental levels

Appropriateness for use in group settings

Conformance with state standards

Appeal/interest

How easily it is assembled

Cost

Available warranties

Shelving

Shelving and room dividers should have a wide base that will prevent tipping.

Make sure the backing fits into grooves and is glued rather than stapled

If the unit has wheels, make sure they can be securely locked

Tables and Chairs

The types of tables and chairs, their size, and how they are placed are important in an early

childhood classroom. Consider the following when selecting and using tables and chairs:

Avoid having more tables and chairs than you need. While you should have enough

seating so that every child can be seated at lunch, you do not need more than this

number.

Tables should be placed so that they can be used for a variety of activities throughout

the day. You do not need to group tables together on tiled areas institutional style for

mealtimes. Place the tables in the centers where it makes sense for there to be a table

in the art, cooking, manipulative s and writing areas for example.

Make sure tables and chairs are the correct height for your children. Use the chart of

furniture heights to determine what best meets the needs of your children.

Surfaces should be easy to clean and sanitize

The feet of the chair should have nylon bases. Metal glides rust and leave floor stains.

Check the weight limit of the chair; remember that adults frequently sit on children’s

chairs.

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Guidelines for Furniture Heights

Selecting child-size furniture for learning centers

Dramatic play:

Look for piano hinges on doors. Because these run

the length of the door, they prevent fingers from

getting pinched.

For longevity, look for hinges that have a 270 degree

hinge allowing doors to open ¾ of the way. This adds

to the life of the furniture.

Look for stove doors that open sideways.

Consider furniture with connecting countertops to

add stability.

Purchase pieces with lots of storage space for artificial

foods and dress-up clothes. This will help keep the

environment organized.

Art

Easels at appropriate height for children. Children should be able to paint without

raising their arms over their head

Wide shelves or storage that will accommodate paper of various sizes including large

Surfaces that are easy to clean

Infants Toddlers and 2’s Preschoolers School-Agers

Chairs 5” 7 ½” 9 ½-11 ½ 13 ½

Tables (8-10” from bottom of table top to chair seat)

13”-15” 15 ½ “-17 ½” 17 ½”-21 ½” 21 ½”-23 ½”

Shelves 28” 28” 32” 32”

Piano Hinge

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Blocks

Wide shelves with long spaces to accommodate long building materials

Shelves that can hold smaller baskets or bins of items to add to building structures such

as people or traffic signs

Writing

Small table for one or two children to sit

at and write

Shelving that accommodates small bins of

writing supplies

Select furniture with surfaces for

displaying letters and samples of

children’s writing if wall space is limited

Reading

Soft furniture including comfortable chairs for adults and children and pillows or mats

for laying on the floor

Low shelves with space for displaying books

Baskets or other storage containers for putting a few books in a cozy area

Movement

Taller climbing structures will need a large, soft fall zone area around it. You will need

to make sure it meets licensing standards and policies

Soft pillows, mats or foam shapes for climbing safely

Furniture that can be easily moved to create a large space for movement

Math and Science/Discovery/Nature

Shelves or furniture wide enough and low enough to support cages or aquariums for

small animals and allow children to easily observe pets

Shelving that accommodates several baskets or containers for providing smaller

materials such as items for counting and sorting, various seed pods for examining and

tools and materials such as magnifying glasses and magnets

Shelves that will accommodate larger materials and tools such as a balance scale for

measuring weight or an item from nature such as a bird’s nest

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Selecting Small Equipment and Materials

When selecting equipment and materials for young children, consider:

Safety- look for toxic materials, rough corners or splinter and small parts that could be

removed and swallowed

How easy is it to clean and sanitize?

Developmental appropriateness-does it meet the developmental needs of the children?

Will it challenge them to a higher skill level?

How interesting/appealing are the materials and equipment?

Promote diversity by:

Providing dolls and people that

represent diverse ethnic

backgrounds, abilities, ages

Providing dramatic play materials,

such as dress up clothes, that

interest boys and girls

Providing art materials such as paint,

paper and markers, that represent a

wide range of skin tones

Books and images that show people

of differing abilities engaged in daily

routine, work and recreational

activities

Select items that are non-commercial, free of logos and not tied into a TV show or movie

Provide high quality children’s books, toys and materials. Make sure they do not feature TV, movie or video game characters

Why non-commercial?

Marketing to children is big business and children see some type of commercial or advertisement for toys and products with popular TV, movie and video game characters just about everywhere they go. The pressure to want more or items only with these characters can take away from a positive childhood experience.

Many commercial toys and materials are not developmentally appropriate, such as a toddler toy with a popular TV character reciting the alphabet. The focus is usually more on the character than the child’s developmental needs.

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Select items that can be used in more than one way/ are open-ended; look for:

Items that promote imaginative play

Things that can be used in more than one area or activity, such as natural items that can

be explored with a magnifying glass, used for counting and sorting or for creating art

works.

Some other items that can be used

for a variety of activities are:

Funnels, measuring cups,

spoons etc. (Sand and Water,

Cooking, Dramatic Play)

Puppets (Literacy, Dramatic

Play, Performing Arts)

Large pillows (Quiet area, pile

them to climb on for large

motor play)

Scarves (Dramatic play,

Movement)

Make cost-effective purchases:

Inexpensive does not always equal cost effective, consider durability and how it will be

used. Items for sand and water play, like funnels and measuring cups, purchased at one

of the many stores that offer $1 items, will work just as well as more expensive items

from early childhood supply companies. A broom purchased for a dollar or two will not

clean well and will not stand up to heavy usage so you will find yourself replacing it often.

Prioritize your purchases based on need and cost.

Items that will children play with often or are used in rougher play, such as dolls or balls,

should be of high quality, even if they cost a little more

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Toys and Materials for Specific Age Groups

Having appropriate materials and small equipment is essential to providing young children a

positive learning experience. Each center needs to have a variety of props and supplies. The

information below provides a basic overview of the things you should consider when selecting

toys for each age group. It is important to consider what your children enjoy and what their

developmental needs are when choosing toys and materials for them

Infants enjoy:

Bright colors

High contrast such as black and white

Simple designs

Developmentally appropriate toys include:

Toys that promote self-awareness

Toys that produce effects such as sounds when a knob is turned

Mobiles (0-6 months)

Toys for grasping such as soft dolls or texture balls (after 3 months)

Floating objects (after they are able to sit)

Sensory toys such as texture pads and squeeze toys

Small, washable books

Soft blocks (after 7 months)

Toddlers and Twos enjoy:

Toys that promote fine and gross

motor skills

Carrying items from place to place

Active exploration

Building and constructing (e.g. large

blocks, empty boxes)

Toys that can be put together and

taken apart

Pretending

Toys that encourage independence

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Developmentally appropriate toys and materials for toddlers and two’s included:

Full-length mounted mirrors

Push and pull toys

Dolls with simple removable clothing

Housekeeping-related materials, like strollers for dolls, cleaning equipment and dress-up

clothes

Ride-on transportation toys and small transportation toys to manipulate

Sand and water mils for sand and water play

Rubber blocks

Puzzles (up to about size pieces)

Self-help boards

Shape sorters

Pegboards with large pegs

Lock boxes

Shape sorters

Cloth and cardboard books

Rhythm instruments

Nesting and stacking rings

Jumbo crayons, jumbo chalk and finger paint

Preschool

Preschoolers enjoy a broad range of toys and materials that both appeal to them and stretch

their skills.

When selecting items for them, remember

that they:

Have a wide array of abilities and

interests

Enjoy cooperative play

Like arts and crafts

Are curious investigators who like to

solve problems

Like project work and seeing tasks

through to completion

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Some appropriate toys for preschoolers include:

Dolls of various ethnicities

Dress up clothes with accessories

Hardwood unit and hollow blocks

Small construction set

Puppets and flannel boards

Books (fiction and nonfiction)

Doll houses

Puzzles (20-50 piece; jigsaw up to 25 pieces)

Art and crafts materials

Clays and doughs

Drawing and painting materials

Math manipulatives

Music for listening, dancing and movement

Cooking and baking equipment

Transportation, people and animal figures

Microscopes (designed for young children), magnifying glasses, scales

Natural materials for sorting

School Age

Most programs for school age children serve children within a wide age range. The interests

and needs of a 5 year old child are very different from 10 year old child. Keep in mind the ages

of the children in your program when selecting toys and materials to make sure you are

meeting the needs of all children.

When selecting toys and materials consider that school-age children:

Have varying skills, interests,

backgrounds and needs

Are peer-oriented and like cooperative

activities

Find games with rules appealing

Want to hone their talents and interests

Are self-directed

Like discovering new things

Are interested in what’s new and current

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Toys and materials that school age children enjoy include:

Construction materials

Jigsaw and map puzzles

Computer programs on a wide array of subjects

Materials for beading, weaving and patterning

Math and memory games

Music for listening to with headphones

Musical instruments

Materials for drawing, painting and sculpting

Books on a variety of subjects

Kitchen gadgets for cooking, baking and decorating

Woodworking materials

Games of fantasy

Card and board games

Printing and publishing materials

Photography supplies

Plant and animal study tools

Writing and composing materials

Knitting and sewing supplies

Other ideas to consider:

When you offer children toys and equipment, begin with a few that will spark their

interest

As children become skilled in using toys and equipment, offer them something that will

challenge the to the next skill level

Children need to be challenged without being frustrated, leave some of the items that

they have already mastered so that they feel comfortable enough to move onto a new

challenge

Rotate toys and equipment regularly. If children seem bored with something, replace it

with something new

Add materials and equipment that support new projects or interests throughout the

room. For example, if the children are learning about transportation, provide cars and

trucks in the block area, a prop box with items to create a pretend gas station in the

dramatic play area, maps in the writing area and books about transportation in the

reading area

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When putting out new or interesting toys and equipment, keep in mind that it will be a

very popular item. Make sure you have a plan for avoiding conflicts such as a timer to

help children take turns using the item

To minimize conflicts, have enough materials so that more than one child can use at the

same time. This is especially important for toddlers and two’s who have difficulty

sharing

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Assessing the New Room Arrangement

Once you have arranged your room, step back, take a good look at the room and ask yourself:

Does it reflect variety in surfaces, heights and textures?

A balance of soft and hard items, including floors

Shelves, furniture and displays at various heights

Items that are smooth, rough, bumpy etc.

Add variety by:

Using area or throw rugs (secured to avoid slipping), pillows, mats and other soft

elements

Using an office chair mat to add a hard surface

Using room décor or displays to add height to areas with mostly low furniture such as

the reading area

Displaying children’s works and family information at various heights. Children’s work

should be at child level, items specifically for families should be displayed at adult level

Does it appeal to the senses?

Look, listen, smell and touch to check for elements such as:

A pleasant smell; unpleasant odors should not be covered up with sprays or other

chemicals

Warm neutral colors for walls, furniture and materials; color comes from the children’s

works and interesting room decor

Items that are interesting to look at, touch and smell

Appeal to the senses by:

Adding pleasant smelling plants such as basil or lemon grass. Avoid strong smells such

as eucalyptus.

Toning down room color by removing décor and displays with bright colors. If the

furniture is mostly bright primary colors, try grouping similar colors together (e.g. blue

table and chairs in art area green in manipulatives, it appears softer than a mixture of

colors

Including more items or elements to touch and look at, such as natural items, fabrics

and papers of various textures and room décor

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Does it invite curiosity?

Look for interesting materials and items placed at child’s level so that children can

explore them freely

Invite curiosity by:

Keeping materials at child’s level

Adding new things on a regular basis

Provide tools such as prisms, magnifying glasses and magnets that allow children to

explore materials more in depth

Does it foster relationships?

Look for:

Cozy areas that allow two children to interact

Space for group/community projects

Comfortable areas for adults and children to relax and interact together

Foster relationships by:

Providing a cozy area for adults and children or small groups of children to relax and talk

Expand areas such as art or science when needed for large group projects

Making sure areas have enough space for several child to use materials; can some

children play with large blocks while other children build with smaller construction sets

in the block area?

Does it support diversity?

Look for

Pictures of children and families in the program

Pictures and items that reflect a variety of cultures, family types, ethnic/racial groups,

and ages

Images of people who are differently abled doing work or other recreational activities

Add diversity by:

Asking for items from home that reflect the cultures of your families

Taking pictures of the children and their families or asking for families to bring pictures

from home. Display them attractively in a collage or in frames

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Chose room décor that adds to diversity. For example, instead of a wall hanging with

nursery rhymes on it, chose something that represents a specific culture

Does it inspire children to be creative?

Look for things that encourage children to

create freely such as:

Enough protected space to build large

structures

A variety of art supplies, including

paint and play dough, that children

can easily reach and use

Children’s art works displayed

attractively including 3 dimensional

works like sculptures

Inspire creativity by:

Providing large spaces for building including space for special projects in areas such as

art or science

Arranging furniture so that space is protected from the flow of traffic and creative

projects are safe

Adding a variety of materials such as items from nature, recycled items and home-made

clays and doughs

Placing age appropriate materials and tools such as scissors, paint, glue etc. at child’s

level

Demonstrating you value children’s works by respecting them; instead of writing on the

child’s work, include name and other information on a card next to the work

Displaying sculptures and structures; smaller items can be put on shelves or tables, for

larger items, take pictures and display them attractively

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Inclusive Environments

Both the physical environment and the materials in it must be accessible to all children. You may need to make changes to your environment and the toys and equipment to support children with special needs.

There are two questions you need to think about when making sure the environment is accessible to children with special needs:

Can the child get to where he needs to be?

Once there, can he use materials independently?

For children with limited mobility, you can:

Add sloping ramps to entrances; include a seat near the ramps

Use a higher table with a cut out for children in wheelchairs. You could also use a wheelchair tray to provide a table-like surface

Add ramps or pull bars near lofts or other areas that children may need to reach so they can pull themselves up

Raise the height of the sand table

Lower the water table to support a child’s body and free his arms

Provide seats backs and bolster chairs to make children more independent

Support children playing on the floor with bolsters, wedges and positioning tools

For children with a hearing impairment:

Make use of visual labels

Flick lights to get children’s attention

Make sure that there are blinking lights along with the sound alarm used in emergencies

For children who have visual impairments but are not blind:

Add additional lighting with lamps that can be used on tables or the floor

Keep dividers and furniture used for boundaries free of clutter so that children can use the edges as guides

Use signs with textures. For example, in the manipulative area, tape a toy to outside of the storage containers so children can figure out what it is the bin and where it belongs when putting things away

27

To support children with special needs during meal times:

Provide weighted utensils to improve coordination

Purchase adaptive plates, cups and utensils. Suction cups stabilize bowls

Play calming background music (autism)

Working with families

You will need to work closely with family and other professionals that provide support for

children with special needs. You may need additional training or information about the child

and their special needs. Begin by working with families. Here are some questions you can ask

parents to better understand the child’s needs:

What are some things your child enjoys doing?

What are some things he has difficulty with?

What kinds of situations do your child find stressful or upsetting?

When your child is upset, what is soothing for her?

Does your child have any sensitivities to touch, light, noise or food?

How does our child let you know he needs something or is not feeling well?

Is there anything else you want us to know about your child?

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Adapting Centers and Activities for

Children with Special Needs

Center Changes to support special needs

Visual Impairment

Develop-mental Delays

Ortho-pedic

Impair-ment

ADHD Autism

Art Reduce glare by using pastel paper

X

Use tape to build up handles of paint brushes, crayons etc

X X

Add thickeners, textures and fragrances to paint

X

Put artwork into a rimmed cookie sheet to define workspace

X X

Blocks Place a basket of blocks next to individual or pairs of children

X

Use mats or carpet tiles to define space

X X

Use an empty appliance carton for building

X

Tape sandpaper to sides of unit blocks

X

Substitute hardwood blocks with jumbo building legos or other building sets

X X

Have children build against a wall

X X

Fine Motor Areas including writing, table toys and manipulatives, Science and Math

Define work space with cookie sheets or shirt boxes

X

All Areas Block distractions with partitions

X X X

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Gross Motor Place wide balance beams directly on the floor

X

Tape rope to the floor as a guide

X

Use rocking horses to calm children

X

Use scooter boars with children in wheelchairs

X

Use hula hoops or squares to define children’s space

X

Computers Oversized monitors X

Speech synthesizers X

Voice-recognition systems

X

Head pointer and mouth sticks

X

Head controlled mice X

Puzzles

Glue knob handles on puzzle pieces

X

Outline puzzle pieces onto the puzzle base

X

Glue magnets on puzzle pieces and use a cookie sheet as a base

X

All Areas Add books to your library featuring children with disabilities

All Children

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Creating Print-Rich Environments

Labeling

Use labels to help children keep materials

organized

Print neatly using the appropriate case (upper or

lower). Do not use all upper case letters or mix

upper and lower case letters within a word

Use pictures and words to help children connect

the written word with the item

Books, posters and signs

Display books throughout room in the appropriate

learning center. For example, books on topics

such as menus and cookbooks in the dramatic

play center.

Post “information” signs such as how many children

can play in a center or the daily schedule with

pictures to help children connect the written

word with the activity

Display children’s work

Write down a story that the children have

created as a group and display it

Post samples of children’s writing in the

writing center

Other ideas for creating print-rich environments

Create “instructions” for activities like making playdough using pictures and words (see

appendix pages 31 and 32)

Display pictures of children with their name next to it.

Post the words to a favorite song or finger play at child’s level

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Appendix: Making Playdough With Children

Getting Ready

This activity will work best as small group activity

Have the recipe printed out

Gather all of your supplies in one place before the activity

Introducing the activity:

Give children time to look at and discuss the recipe, some questions you might as are:

What supplies will we need?

Why do you think the measuring cups are different sizes?

Which ingredients (flour, salt, water and oil) do we use the most of? The least?

If your children are interested in letter sounds, they may ask about the ”k” in knead, explain that sometimes words have letters that do not make a sound, like this “k”.

Making the playdough:

Allow children to measure the ingredients. Focus more on the number of cups than making sure the ingredient is measured exactly (e.g. adding only one cup, the water does not need to be exactly on the 1 cup line). If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, to dry, add water.

Count the cups as a group as you add the ingredients.

Discuss the texture, look and smell of each ingredient.

Let children make predictions about which ingredient is the softest, slippery etc.

Have paper towels on hand so children can help clean up any spills.

Once the dough is mixed, separate it into smaller pieces so that each child has some dough to knead.

Questions you might ask:

What do you think will happen when we add the water?

Why do you think we “knead” the dough?

If you want to add color to your dough, you can add food coloring:

To the water, this is the easiest way. Allow the children to watch how the food coloring hits the water and then spreads out.

Stir it in as one of the ingredients. Watch how the dough changes color.

Knead it into the dough, this is the messiest way to do it because the food coloring is very likely to get on hands

32

Playdough Recipe

1 cup water

3 cups flour

1 ½ cup salt

¼ cup oil

Mix

Knead