When we think of early childhood education; the first we think of is what kind of practices are developmentally appropriate. Developmental Appropriate Practices (DAP) have been enforced by The National Association Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a non-profit professional organization dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education. According to the organization's website, the NAEYC defines the Developmentally Appropriate Practice as "a framework of principles and guidelines to support a teacher's intentional decision making for practice." Learning is the act of acquiring knowledge through different kinds of mediums. One of the main key components for children to learn effectively is for early childhood educators to create a positive learning environment for them.
How to Design a DAP Indoor Environment?
As teachers, we should take into account the way we organize the classroom's surroundings and how it largely contributes to how children learn and behave. By understanding the child's needs first, we can create a calm and peaceful atmosphere where the child feels safe. When looking around the classroom and the items inside, try your best to make an uninterrupted circular pathway around furniture or walls; as it will spark the imagination of young children. There should be leaning centers that should be placed in those uninterrupted circular pathways (Miller, 2016,p.167).
Intentionally placed learning centers are used to split up the classroom into different subject/learning areas. By giving children the opportunity to make choices for themselves at these learning centers, teachers can make their lesson plans in a way where the children stay more . Each activity center should have easily accessible, organized materials in order to give the child an idea of what to do in that area. For example, you wouldn't want to place the toys from the dramatic play areas to where the quiet reading area (Childcare, 2019).
The Advantage of Having Learning Centers:
Children have the incentive to be explore and experiment as they are engaged in activities that are primarily hands-on
Caregivers can pay more attention to the children and their progress
Caregivers will be able to understand what the needs are for each child
How to Design a DAP Outdoor Environment?
One of the top priorities early childhood educators must have is that they need to do everything they can to support the child's physical, cognitive and socio-emotional development. For young children, the outdoor environment are essential for a child to develop in a healthy manner. Back when smartphones, television, video games weren't around, the only past time children could do at the time was play outdoors! Market research firm, OnePoll surveyed 2,000 British parents and children in order to assess the recreational habits of children; the survey results show that "40 percent of parents have to force their children to leave the house and spend time outside" (Earth, 2018). With the pandemic and advancements made in technology, many children are more prone to prefer staying indoors rather than going out.
According to the The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical report, The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children, outdoor activities during recess time "not only sends a message that exercise is fundamentally important for physical health but likely brings together children from diverse backgrounds to develop friendships as they learn and grow." Playground equipment such as, slides, climbers, monkey bars etc. serves as the perfect place to optimize a child's physical development through facilitating exercise, social awareness, motor skills and coordination. Little Tikes, a toy manufacturer company posted a blog that explains that the playgrounds can improve their flexibility, balance agility, balance, instincts, and immunity.
My Philosophy
Children between the ages 3-5 are at the stage where they are developing their fine and gross motor skills. With that being said, I believe the ways children learn most effectively is through outdoor and dramatic play. I never went to preschool so I will be sharing my experience playing when I was in transitional kindergarten. I was a shy and soft-spoken child so interacting with children in the classroom was a bit intimidating. When it was recess time, I would play on the playground by myself because I found the equipment to be intriguing. While I was playing alone, I remember a couple of my classmates asked if I wanted to play freeze tag. I hesitated but I eventually agreed because it was my first time playing with others. That memory is something I've always cherished because it helped me to develop my prosocial skills.
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