High-Quality Infant Toddler Environments Observation Form
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High-Quality Infant Toddler Environments Observation Form
| Infant Toddler Space
Note- You may not observe all the bullet points below. |
Adaptations to be made to support the eight considerations |
| The Environment is:
• Safe and free from hazards • Clean • Has natural light from windows and another soft lighting • Aesthetically pleasing • Uncluttered • Individually, age, and culturally appropriate • Inviting and interesting to children |
In the infant/toddler space, I would put more diverse and family pictures in the classroom to make it more culturally appropriate. |
| Places for nurturing children:
· A comfortable space, away from active play for staff to sit on the floor (with back support) and hold a child or children • A loft • An adult-sized couch • A mat on the floor against the wall with pillows with washable covers • A rocking chair/glider |
I do not need to make any adaptations in this area. |
| A quiet space for infants and toddlers:
· A soft space away from active play • A soft space for two children with family photographs books, dolls and blanket, soft toys, quiet toys, puppets, and books • A nest (or create a nest with an inner tube) with a blanket over it • A space with boxes large enough for a child or two to crawl in and out of |
In this infant/toddler space, I do not see a quiet area. I would make a quiet area with a big soft pillow and books to look at, so they can be alone if they want too. |
| Space for toddlers to use creative arts materials:
A space for coloring or painting on paper on the floor (preferably near a short sink not used for food preparation) • Short tables for clay, play dough, thick crayons, nontoxic paints, or finger paints • Paper and other interesting materials to manipulate and create • Large pieces of paper and other interesting materials to draw and paint on • Short easels and brushes for toddlers to use by themselves or with other children • A low shelf with safe, creative materials attractively displayed and available for children to use • A place to display children’s creative work |
I do not feel like I have to do anything in this area. |
| Spaces for delighting the senses:
• Short shelves and tables for toddlers with sensory materials displayed in an inviting way • Small individual tubs or other containers, or water tables with water (always monitor children very carefully with water; children have drowned in an inch of water in a container) • Containers or tables for sand and other natural materials • Interesting materials such as funnels, plastic animals, cups, scales, etc. on the sensory tables or containers • A light table • Wading pools filled with different textured balls and other safe materials • A space to use feeling and sound boxes • A space for making bubbles with various sizes of wands |
Love this everything is a great height for the infant/toddler space. |
| Spaces for the development of motor skills:
• Floor space so that children can move freely and be active with: • Couches to walk around (while using the couch for support) and climb up on for seeing the world • Ramps and short climbers to climb • Tunnels to crawl through • Mats at different levels for climbing • Rocking boats • Balls of all sizes • Objects that can be moved, such as child-sized shopping carts, doll strollers, and riding toys • A bar fastened to the wall on various levels so that children can pull to stand • Large empty appliance boxes with windows cut out and the end cut off so that children can crawl through the box |
I would put so push toys in this classroom to help with their walking that’s the only Adaptations. |
| Spaces for toys and manipulatives:
• Short shelves with toys/materials–carefully arranged so that children can reach them – Toys that move make noise, and change shape – Safe nesting blocks, ring towers, large beads, “cause and effect” toys, “take apart” toys, shape sorters, stacking toys, large pegs and pegboards, large beads for stringing, puzzles, and other interesting materials – Puppets, dolls – Toy telephones – Tubes of varying lengths and • A child-sized table and chairs • Spaces to play on the floor by themselves, with staff and with peers |
I would put some puppets in this area and a little more space so they can move. |
| Spaces to build and construct:
• A platform or hard surface for building • Blocks of all sizes, shapes, and textures • Wooden animals, little houses, play people, trucks, and cars |
It needs more soft blocks and not the hard blocks that the kid can use and hit each other. |
| Spaces for pretend play:
• A corner or some small area with: – A mirror, low pegs to hang clothing, scarves, purses, hats, easy-to-put-on dress-up clothes – Safe kitchen utensils, pots and pans, child-sized dishes, containers of various sizes, pretending multi-ethnic food, and/or clean empty commercial food boxes – Multiethnic dolls, doll blankets, baby bottles, and bed, doll clothes – Puppets of varying sizes and shapes – Child-sized tables, stoves, refrigerators |
I would put more diversity dolls in pretend play |
| Spaces for infants and toddlers to experience books:
• A special place designed for infants and toddlers to choose books from an attractive, easily reached display and “read” or be read to in comfort • An adult-sized couch for adults to read to children • A child-sized couch or chair for children to “read” books • Also place books around the room as any space is a great space for reading to a child or a child looking at books |
Library area is perfect would not change anything |
| Outdoor spaces:
• Spaces for walking, running, jumping • Large stable equipment such as climbers and slides that are inviting for peer interactions • Areas of sun and shade • Spaces for toddlers to use riding toys • Materials for carrying, building, manipulating, and creating • Spaces for adults to nurture children • Spaces for children to sit and rest alone or together |
Well, need a lot to be done to the infant/toddler playground a safe place for them to run and jump not on concrete. Need a space where the teachers can nurture the children. |
Adapted from CSEFEL Infant Toddler Environment Planning- http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/inftodd/mod2/2.9.pdf
A Reflection about the Environments Assessed
High-quality infant toddler environments are sensitive and should be characterized by spaces that do not pose risks to the toddlers. There are many cases on the internet and other news avenues where we get reports of toddlers dying because of unsafe environments. If these environments or spaces were filled with materials that least cause harm, then no one would wake up to reports of injured or dead toddlers. As such, having environments that are characterized by safety, comfort, child-zed, flexibility, movement, choice, and convenience as well as health the lives of the toddlers would be safeguarded.
Most environments or spaces assessed portrayed spaces where toddlers would sing, dance, move, exercise, slide, and play without any cause of alarm. For instance, a close examination of the environment space, I realize that it is inviting interesting, aesthetically pleasing, and is clean. Besides, the environment is safe and free from hazards. As such, I feel this environment provides the toddlers with the freedom to do all they want.
The places for nurturing children should not be characterized by many interactive materials and spaces. However, it should provide a space where the toddlers could learn from their immediate environment from various stimuli and responses. In a quiet space, the toddlers need a soft pillow and books from which they can look at it without input from the environment. A close examination of the other space, I realize most of the materials are there except a few spaces that I think need more resources that would be helpful for their growth and development.
In the environments or spaces which are characterized by the construction of knowledge, learning, and higher-order skills for the toddlers, I would expect things like soft blocks that cannot injury them. Besides, I would expect diverse dolls and talking toys that would enhance the toddlers’ language development. When the environment of the space is filled with all these resources, it is no doubt that they will grow and develop by acquiring the various skills needed for their survival.