Home.
A place where you are welcome, a place where you can be yourself, a place where you can unwind and relax.
Our homes are our safe spaces in this vast universe. After a long tiring day, we all look forward to going home. Because that is where we feel “at home.” And we design our homes tailored to our specific needs. Home holds a special place in our hearts irrespective of our age. Now, take the case of children. Babies spend their early years (say until age 2 or 3 years) mostly at home under the care of their parents or guardians. The first space they venture apart from their home for a substantial time is preschool/playchool/kindergarten/nursery. It is their first introduction to the outside world without the presence of their parents.
Importance of well-designed Early Childhood Education Centres
Early childhood education centres are the “home away from home” for kids aged 2 to 4. It is also where kids are introduced to the concept of schooling and education. It sets the tone for their future interests. A child’s brain is still developing during the early childhood years. It is constantly looking to learn and absorb new things. It is essentially a sponge. So, providing quality early childhood education is crucial to a child’s development. A good educational curriculum is not enough for a young child to grow, but a holistically well-designed environment is equally important. In today’s world of fast-paced technology and information at the snap of your fingers at times, it is essential to slow down and look at the world from the perspective of a child.
In the beginning, every child is hesitant to explore their preschools. Leaving their parents/guardians behind to enter into a new space will be quite daunting and hence it is imperative for us architects to design spaces which are welcoming and provide them with a sense of safety and comfort. So, how do we go about designing a well-rounded space crucial in aiding the development of young brains?
Key elements to be incorporated in designing Early Childhood Education Centres
Comfort and warmth with a sense of home is the ideal concept for the design of any early childhood education centre. It is essential for the child to feel at ease in its environment for it to grow. These foundational years are crucial for a child’s physical, emotional and social development. Compared to the olden days, kids these days have access to a lot of fast-paced content and it is necessary to make them look away from screens and look into nature. Incorporating natural elements in the design of these spaces whenever applicable is an important part of creating a holistic learning environment.
Connection to nature is an essential part of sensory development for kids. It could be in the form of – unstructured open outdoor play areas, which are not limited to the traditional play areas with swings and slides but open-ended play which prompts the creativity of the child; water-based activity areas, which provide a fun textural play and brings about sensory awareness; gardening and sand-based activity areas, where they learn hands-on about how plants grow, etc. Designing these kinds of outdoor spaces can bring about curiosity and a thirst for knowledge in young minds.
The indoor spaces can follow fun colour themes to brighten up and make the space more interactive. Creating a seamless flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces can also be done using different colour themes. The indoor spaces should be designed with ample natural lighting throughout the day as natural lighting is essential for maintaining the children’s circadian rhythm. The nap rooms should be designed to mimic their homes so that it gives them a sense of comfort and ease to fall asleep. Both indoor and outdoor can have spaces like ball pits, tree houses, etc. where children are made to mingle and cooperate to foster social interaction and development.
Children are autonomous beings and like to be independent. As architects, the space we design should encourage the children to be independent. Interactive and interesting wayfinding concepts can be incorporated into the design process and made simple for young minds to follow through. Likewise, we can also involve the children in the design process and ask them to describe the kind of spaces they desire, in the form of drawings or sketches. It will give us a window into the perspective of the children and their wants and needs.
Conclusion
Children spend anywhere from 2 hours to 6 hours(in the case of daycare) a day in early childhood education centres. That is a significant amount of time away from their parents and guardians. Naturally, children are filled with wonder and fascination for their surrounding environment. To design a space where a child feels safe and at home is of great importance. A privilege even! So, one needs to be mindful of designing such spaces with great care and significance given to the user experience. Because at the end of the day, the way a child looks at this world is completely different from the way we look at this wonder.
