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20  TOPIC 2 DIMENSIONS OF YOUNG CHILDREN’S SETTING 2.1.1 Environmental Settings that Meet
Children’s Needs
ChildrenÊs daily lives are complex and unique. They have unique personalities that require individual responses from adults. For this reason, a good early childhood environment must meet childrenÊs basic but essential needs and requirements for meaningful, warm and responsive interaction with supportive adults. The environment should offer a sense of importance and a significant way to relate to the world around them. This environment has important components that provide opportunities for children to move, learn and play, such as:
(a) Opportunities for a Rich Experience
Children need to explore, experiment and learn basic knowledge through rich and direct experience. These experiences can be acquired through a rich environment that stimulates childrenÊs creativity and natural curiosity. In fact, early childhood is a time when children learn first-hand about the physical world. Creative play and physical play provide plenty opportunities for children to explore the world around them.
(b) Rich in Play
Play provides a variety of ways for children to integrate their new experiences into their developing minds. Children need play to expand their knowledge and develop new skills. It supports childrenÊs development in all aspects. Brain research has stressed that children learn best through an integrated play approach combining cognitive, language, physical, emotional and social growth. Thus, early childhood setting should be a centre for childÊs play where learning and development take place appropriately.
(c) Rich in Learning
Children learn best when their activities are meaningful to them. Adults should utilise the most current and innovative methods to enrich childrenÊs experiences as they learn about the world around them. Activities such as play and games should be interesting, delightful and surprisingly effective for childrenÊs learning. Rich and dynamic learning environments allow children to learn important skills and understand more new concepts. For example, literacy rich environments full of labels with words and pictures everywhere provide opportunities for children to understand the concept of words and print awareness.
(d) Sense of Belonging
Environment is a fundamental space where children develop identity and self-concept. Like adults, one of childrenÊs basic needs is to feel that they
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