4.1 Scaling Environments within Children’s Reach

Creating Early Childhood Education Environments | 177

In other words, scaling ensures children can navigate their environment easily and comfortably.

As a rule, objects should be at eye level for four-to-six-year-olds, or 95 centimeters from the floor (Bernard van Leer Foundation 2019). Objects and places with social uses should be in easy reach, in children’s field of vision, the right size, and have a homey feel (see, for example, photograph 4.1). There is a need for domestic-style interiors that do not look institutional (Cleveland et al. 2018) and that boost the availability of authentic materials and encourage practices that bring everyday lives into the settings. When ECE staff can scale resources and sociocultural diversity into the physical environment, they provide more favorable opportunities for healthy development among minority children and improve children’s cognitive development. For example, instead of using oversized chairs and tables that leave children with their feet dangling, appropriate scaling ensures other socially relevant ways of sitting or resting.

Photograph 4.1 Scaling Environments within Children’s Reach

Source: Image courtesy of Cynthia Adlerstein. Further permission required for reuse.