The HighScope Curriculum
for Infants and Toddlers
Arranging and Equipping
the Learning Environment
Objectives
 Identify qualities that characterize infant and
toddler learning environments.
 Identify guidelines for arranging and equipping the
play and care space for active learners.
 Design an infant and toddler environment that
meets the guidelines.
 Assess play and care spaces for infants and
toddlers.
 Identify materials for sensory-motor learners.
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Your Current Space
1. Draw a diagram of your current indoor space.
2. Hold on to these drawings for an activity later
on this afternoon.
3. Discuss: What are the differences between a
preschool and infant and toddler space?
4. We need to create an environment that is right
for infants and toddlers and that will stimulate
their growth and learning.
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HighScope’s Infant and Toddler “Wheel of Learning”
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A Desirable Place
to Be for Adults
 Close your eyes and imagine a
pleasant place you would like to be right now.
 How does this place look, feel, smell?
 What features does it include?
 Who, if anyone is there with you?
 As a group, let’s compile a list.
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The List
 What strikes you about this list?
 Which of these words and phrases go
together?
These words describe where we CHOOSE to be.
Given a choice, we choose places where
we can play, learn, eat, rest, go inside and
outside at will, be alone or with others.
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A Desirable
Place to be
for Children
 Find a new partner.
 Compile a list of words and phrases that describe
where you think infants and toddlers most like to be.
 As a whole group discuss:
 What strikes you about this list?
 What is the relationship between the adult list and
the child’s list?
 How does this help us begin to think about
arranging and equipping the environment for
infants and toddlers?
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Envisioning this Space
 Imagine transforming this space into a
desirable space for infants and toddlers.
 Turn to page 12-13 in your Training Booklet
(TB).
 Follow the instructions and when you are
done, draw your final arrangement on chart
paper.
 Present to the whole group.
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Guidelines for
Arranging and
Equipping the InfantToddler Learning
Environment




Turn to page 14 in TB.
Gather information for your guideline.
Watch Videos.
Share as whole group.
Guideline #1
Build order and flexibility into
the learning environment with:
A. Care and play areas that are distinct
- Food preparation and eating, napping and
sleeping, bodily care.
- Places for social interaction, private spaces
1. Safe space for non-mobile
infants.
2. Safe space for mobile infants.
3. Toddler play areas (movement, sand,
water, book, art, block, house, toy).
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Guideline #1 (cont’)
B. An open floor plan.
- Fixed specialized areas along the
perimeter.
- Middle space left open for active play.
C. Moveable furnishings, equipment, and
storage containers.
D. Easy access to an outdoor play yard.
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Guideline #2
Provide comfort and safety for children
and adults with:
A. Clean, inviting floors, walls, and ceilings.
B. Soft places (pillows, couches, easy chairs, mats).
C. Soft and natural lighting.
D. Infant and toddler-sized equipment and furnishings.
E. Adult-sized furniture.
F. Storage space for caregivers’ personal belongings,
children’s belongings, extra toys and supplies.
- Children’s cubbies
- Child-accessible shelves, containers
- Adult-height shelves, cupboards, hooks
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Guideline #2 (cont’)
G. Safe, convenient adult
access to appliances and
everyday supplies.
H. A welcoming entrance or
reception area.
I. Pleasant reminders of home:
- Children’s comfort items
- Family photographs
J. Space for children’s creations.
K. A floor-level focus.
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Taking A Look at Sample Rooms
 With your group, look
through the example of an
infant and/or toddler space.
 Using the guidelines,
critique these spaces.
 Discuss what should be
there and what needs to
change.
 Discuss as a whole group.
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Applying the Guidelines to Your
Design of this Space
 Pull out your design of this space.
 Using the first 2 guidelines for arranging and
equipping the environment, assess your strengths
and decide on what modifications need to be made.
 Use pages 17-18 in TB to help you.
 Draw a new diagram using chart paper or use a
different colored marker to note the way you want
the room to look according to the guidelines.
 Share as whole group.
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Infants and Toddlers at Play
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Guideline #3
A. Materials that appeal to
children’s senses
- Things to smell, hear, touch, taste, see.
- Open-ended materials (found/natural as
well as commercial).
- Things to mouth, reach, grasp, roll, carry, set in
motion, fit together, pull apart, etc.
- A many textured environment (indoor, outdoor
surfaces; furnishings).
- Interesting vistas (windows, skylight, aquarium).
Guideline #3 (cont.)
B. Space and materials for
children’s movement
- Variety in scale (equipment, furnishings, playthings).
- Multiple physical levels.
- Places to suit different activity levels:

Active play

Quiet, stationary play
Phase 3 Finding: As the number and variety of
materials in settings increased, children’s age-7
cognitive performance improved.
HI
Materials
LOW
HI
Cognitive Performance
© 2003 IEA Preprimary Project, High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
Let’s look at these toys…

In groups examine these toys:

What strikes you about the learning
opportunities with these toys? KDIs
Let’s Go Shopping!
 Choose 1 person from each table, take a
bag and fill your bag with different kinds of
materials from the various types of
materials.
 With your group, explore the materials using
all your senses.
What about these materials?



Materials
can
either
What strikes you
about the
learning
encourage
or
opportunities with
these play
discourage construction
materials?
of knowledge and
What distinguishes
the 2 groups?
interactions—
What does thisTHE
tell us
about
the
kinds
MORE THE TOY
of materials that
we
need
to
provide
DOES, THE LESS THE
infants and toddlers?
CHILD LEARNS!
Open-Ended Materials
 Will allow more Key
Developmental Indicators
to take place.
 Will allow more Active
Learning to take place.
 This leads to more
intrinsic motivation.
 This leads to more brain
development.
Environmental Issues and Solutions
 With your partner discuss
your assigned issue and
come up with solutions
that would work according
to the guidelines.
 Use page 19 to record
your answers.
 Discuss as a whole group.
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Best Thing About Today!
 Turn to page 20.
 Read through these statements.
 On a sticky note, jot down the
best thing about today and put it
up on the wall.
 Remember to read the article
“Babies Get Out: Outdoor
Settings for Infant-Toddler Play”
at the end of your TB for
tomorrow.
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