Creating Sacred Spaces: Nurturing Development Through the Environment

Hey Reader!

When was the last time you sat on the floor in your classroom and looked around? This was the advice Dr. Mimi Larson gave as we talked in a recent podcast conversation about the importance of creating an intentional early childhood space for children to flourish. Many of you are in a church building sharing classroom spaces and you may not have as much autonomy as you’d like. Something that really struck me about our conversation is when she talked about the explicit environment (furniture, decorations, layout) vs the implicit environment (the more “squishy” aspects of the environment). You may not have as much autonomy in the explicit environment as you wish, but you are fully in control of the implicit environment and Dr. Larson believes that is even more important for a child’s full development.

As you wrap up this school year and begin thinking about your classroom space for this fall, here are a few things to observe with the children who are currently in your classroom and then begin making some notes for the fall:

1. Explicit Environment
   1. Is the furniture age-appropriate? Do what you can to ensure that it is. (Again, I recognize that sometimes you don’t have a lot of say in the matter.)
   2. Is the furniture arranged in such a way that children can navigate in and out of specific learning areas with ease? Is it welcoming for children?
   3. Are your decorations truly for the children’s benefit or are they for parents or even for your own benefit? Did you spend hundreds of dollars on matching posters, borders, and containers for the children? (Or is it actually for you?)
   4. Sit down on the floor in your classroom and look around. Are you having to strain your neck to see a bulletin board or children’s art or is it hung at children’s eye-level? Is everything hung up “out of reach” of the children or can they easily interact with learning materials? Are toys and books stored where children can easily reach them?
2. Implicit Environment – the is the “squishy” stuff – the stuff that is harder to pinpoint.
   1. Are you intentionally connecting materials and activities toward spiritual truth in your classroom? This doesn’t mean that every puzzle has to be a Bible puzzle or you can only use Noah’s ark Little People. It DOES mean that you’re intentionally choosing toys, manipulatives, and books that relate to the scriptural truths you are hoping children learn.
   2. What are children learning “by osmosis” from you as you interact with them? Your mannerisms, your attitude toward them, how much you protect “your” things…all these are absorbed by young children. Jesus invited children to be close to Him so He could bless them.
   3. Are you bringing in spiritual concepts throughout the day? How will you include God in your daily interactions with children? Could you post a scripture or a prayer in various places in your classroom to remind yourself about what your focus is?

Pause for one more moment and answer these last two questions – What does it mean when a child says “This space is for me?” What would that space look and feel like? This would be a great conversation to have with your team and with your admin staff.

We would love to see where you spend your days. Would you be willing to share your classroom spaces with us? Reply to this email and send us a picture — it would be awesome if you could send a picture from an adult perspective AND a picture from a child’s perspective (you sitting on the floor)!

Cheering you on this week!

-Your ECCN team

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Colossians 3:16

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”