Importance of Environment in Promoting Positive Behaviors in Toddlers

This article discusses the importance of environment in promoting positive behaviors in toddlers. It highlights the impact of indoor and outdoor environment on toddlers' behavior development. The article also provides recommendations for developing a supportive environment for toddlers.

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Why is environment an important aspect in the promotion and assisting of positive
behaviors in toddlers?
Safe, nurturing as well as the responsive environment is a significant part of supporting
the learning and development of the toddlers, infants and preschoolers. Studies state that
environments contribute in prevention of the challenging behaviors and serve as the core
component of interventions for different infants and young children even including those
suffering from identified disabilities (Rowe et al., 2017, pp: 163). Adopting correct
environmental practices include proper arrangements of the space, materials, routines as well as
equipments and activities by the families and parents. These help in supporting the learning of
each child across developmental domains. However, studies do reveal that many of the
practitioners remain unsure about the ways by which they could successfully create
environments that support and promote children’s learning and promote positive behavior among
children. When environments are suitable for children, it can result in social, cognitive,
communication as well as motor skill development in children (Kochanska et al., 2015, pp: 785).
Studies are of the opinion that well-designed environments in the classrooms can support
responsive care giving. It can also lead to effective fostering of independence as well as feelings
of competence in children. Positive well-designed environment can ensure promotion of the
child’s engagement as well as decrease in the challenging behaviors of the children. It also helps
in the facilitation of the appropriate social interaction among the infants and toddlers and thereby
provides structure and predictability (Weigel et al., 2017, pp: 745).
Researchers are of the opinion that emotional environment is one important component.
It refers to the whole mood as well as the atmosphere of the setting. Relationships form an

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integral part of the emotional environment. Studies suggest that this environment will display to
the student the ways people talk, behave, speak to each other and are treated along with how
inclusive it is. This will accordingly help the toddler to develop positive emotions and proper
communication styles and relationship building ability. The second environment is the indoor
environment (Le Paro et al., 2016, pp: 148). Researchers are of the opinion that physical
environment in a setting has the capability of directly affecting the quality of practice. For
examples, noise, overcrowding, cleanliness, age appropriate toys and reading materials, color of
the environment and many others have impacts on the behavior development of the child. The
outdoor environment is also responsible for development of positive behaviors in children.
When children are able to move freely, experience nature as well as weather and many others
can help in development if behaviors of cooperation, negotiation as well as collaboration among
children (Britto et al., 2017, pp: 100).
Anecdotes: (250)
1. Jamie: (2 year)
Jamie used to be less communicative and it used to become very difficult for her mother
to understand his feelings. She was also less expressive and her mother was concerned as
she could not understand how to make her child happy. Her mother tried to find out ways
to help her child express but all resulted in futile attempts. However, the indoor
environment of the school encouraged her to undertake painting and art sessions. The use
of brushes, sponges, paint easels and other printing items invoked a sense of excitement
in her and she started expressing her feelings through her drawings, paintings and many
others. She also gradually became more communicative with her mother when both of
them used to develop different crafts, models, sculptures and others.

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This observation shows that indoor environment can help children to gradually
overcome their shy nature, develop communication skills, and become more active in
expressing their feelings and thereby gradually overcoming the introvert nature.
2. Brandon: (3 years)
Brandon’s mother complained that her son is quite pro-active and continuously runs in
the house spilling things and important objects. He even uses his tricycle inside colliding
with different objects in their one bedroom apartment. As both of the parents come late
and tired, they can hardly take him outside the house to meet his friends. Therefore, he
was becoming shy with people whom he met outside his house. They often get frustrated
and scold the boy but it results in futile outcomes. Brandon, being exposed to the free
outdoor environment of the school was found to be quite happy and contempt. As he
loved running, climbing, and other outdoor physical activities, he was seen to
communicate and collaborate with his friends in outdoor areas of school park and this
enabled his positive behaviors of collaboration.
This observation shows that the outdoor environment of children has positive impacts
on development of communication skills as well as physical fitness with positive mood
and happiness in them.
Suggestions for environment development in the centers:
1. The practitioners need to focus on the development of positive relationships among the
children and between the children and the practitioners as a mode of positive behavior
development. Therefore, the indoor classroom environment should be always relaxed where the
practitioners would be always engaging children in games and activities to engage in non-
competitive games and develop cooperative learning structures (Clark and Hare, 2017, pp: 68).

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The environment, which encourages play in the classroom, would also help the children to feel
motivated to come to the classes. Bright colorful toys, art construct materials and beautiful bright
pictured drawn by children should be made the main ornaments of the classroom.
2. Another very important aspect that would be helpful in development of positive emotional
environment is by showing the children that practitioners do believe in their skills and actions.
The practitioners should always encourage the children by saying: I know you can do this”, “you
are a strong boy” and many others. These forms of encouragements makes them feel that their
teachers believe on their ability and this helps in developing a strong emotional and mental
connection with the teachers, helping them to learn positivity in life and overcoming feelings of
negativity and distrust. Studies show that children who do not feel safe might dace difficulty in
learning. Being judgmental and forceful to the children should never be the way of treatment and
children should always feel valued and cared at all times (Li et al., 2017, pp: 456).
3. One of the most important aspects of positive behavior development is learning to embrace
diversity among people of different cultures. Many might debate that the age of 2 to 3 years
might not make them aware of the cultural differences. However, it should be noted that toddlers
are keen observers and they take up habits as they see around them. Therefore, practitioners
might take initiatives where they gradually introduce easier concepts about cultural variations,
diversity as well as similar other aspects through easy languages, plays, stories, teachings and
others (Appl et al., 2017,pp: 845)
4. Another important recommendation for developing the environment supportive of positive
behavior of children is to ensure health and safety both in indoor as well as outdoor environment.
Developing health and safety systems in the environment would include the practitioners to

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develop childproofing rooms, removal of health hazards as well as environmental allergens as
much as possible (Kim et al., 2015, pp: 835).
EYLF outcome 1:
Children would be able to develop a strong sense of identity, which aligns with outcome 1 of
EYLF framework. They would be feeling safe, secured and supported along with the feeling of
emerging autonomy, resilience, inter-dependence and sense of agency. This would help them to
feel that they belong to the social world and help them to become better individuals in future
(Belonging, Being and Becoming, 2009).
Focus area: Focus must be made on the development of the emotional environment of the
children where they would be compassionately handled and cared. Emotional attachments
through gentle communication, continuous encouragement and love and caring behavior
portrayal would help children to develop positive behaviors in them and would reduce negative
feelings (Cassidy et al., 2017, pp: 1666).
EYLF outcome 2:
Children need to develop a strong sense of well being where they would be developing their own
health and physical well-being (Belonging, Being and Becoming, 2009).
Focus area:
Development of parks and outdoor activities and games would help them to develop physically
and remain in good health. Physical activities help in growth and development of physical health
of children and ensues effective communication skills through group activities (Li et al., 2017,

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pp: 456). This would help them in being in best health free from any non-communicable
disorders.
References:
Acecqa.gov.au . 2009 Belonging, Being and Becoming (The Early Years Learning Framework
for Australia) Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
[online] retrieved from :
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-02/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_earl
y_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf (accessed from 8th November, 2018)
Appl, D. J., Hoffman, B., and Hughes, M. A. 2017. Readiness Skills That Support Toddlers’
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67-90). Routledge.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781351489348/chapters/10.4324%2F9781315129853-8
Kim, S., Im, H., and Kwon, K. A. 2015, December. The role of home literacy environment in
toddlerhood in development of vocabulary and decoding skills. In Child and Youth Care
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Kochanska, G., Boldt, L. J., Kim, S., Yoon, J. E., and Philibert, R. A. 2015. Developmental
interplay between children's biobehavioral risk and the parenting environment from toddler to
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“Experience Expectable Environment”. Early Childhood Education Journal, 44(2), 147-153.
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