Stimulating Environments - Bright Futures

1 Stimulating EnvironmentsEnvironments that are Stimulating for babies and young children up to age 5 are filled with safe objectsto explore, allow freedom of movement, and provide a variety of experiences. A Stimulating environmentcan be created in one room of a home, in a home child care setting, or in a center-based following suggestions may help you create a Stimulating environment for your baby or youngchild and may help you evaluate other settings where your baby or young child spends time . The mostimportant aspect of a Stimulating environment is a caregiver (or caregivers) who can create inviting, chal-lenging play spaces in which to interact with babies and young children, can set limits and be emotional-ly available to babies and young children, and can read babies and young children s cues and supportthem when they become overstimulated, fatigued, or bored.

2 Organize materials in some fashion( , fill containers with blocks,provide babies with items todump and fill, provide toddlerswith boxes of toy vehicles orplastic animals, provide olderchildren with items for dress-upand pretend play). Make containers accessible tobabies and children so they arefree to choose what they want toplay with. Change some toy choicesregularly so that babies and children areexposed to different objects from which tochoose. Provide safe access to windows so babies andchildren can look out onto the world, unbreak-able mirrors for them to look into, and brightlycolored pictures at their eye level.

3 Create varying floor surfaces for practicingcrawling and walking ( , mats, carpets,smooth floor surfaces, carpet squares on tilefloors). Design safe spaces for crawling in or climbingover, using sofa cushions, cardboard boxes, andsheets. Provide space where a baby or child can take atime out from the excitement of group Futures TOOL FOR FAMILIESTry to read babies or children s cueswhen they become overwhelmed byall the stimulation, get bored with atoy, or need to be moved to a newplace to play in the room, such asfrom the infant seat to a safe placeon the floor where they can havesome tummy time . When babiesor children begin to rub their eyes orears, when they fuss or whine, whenthey wander around without interest,or when they become aroused and beginto play inappropriately, they are sending cuesthat they need help redirecting their activity.

4 Plan spaces so that caregivers have a clear viewof the babies or children s activities and havemultiple opportunities to interact with thebabies and children. Provide developmentally appropriate toys foryoung children to give them chances to prac-tice their new skills in movement, thinking,and interacting. The following is a list of activi-ties and of the toys appropriate for learningskills associated with each activity: Movement:Walker wagon or ride-on toy(with a push handle for early walkers); pulltoy (string must be less than 12 inches long);big, bouncy balls.(continued on next page) Using hands:Blocks (made of wood, plastic,or recycled milk cartons or boxes); shapesorter, nesting cups, simple puzzles; dump-and-fill containers (use recycled plastic con-tainers); scrap paper, old magazines, papergrocery bags, drawing paper; crayons; an oldset of keys; a flashlight; nontoxic playdough.

5 Water play:Squeeze bottles; sponges; plasticcups; soap Environments (continued) Pretend play:Parent s old clothes for dress-up; toy phone; plastic kitchen utensils,spoons, and empty cereal boxes and milk car-tons; dolls, bottles, and blankets; mirror; toytool set; toy vehicles. Music:Drum or old pots and pans; musicaltapes; singalong videos; child s audiotapeplayer. Language:Sturdy, colorful board as:Kaplan-Sanoff M. 2002. Stimulating Environments . In Jellinek M, Patel BP, Froehle MC, eds., Bright Futures in Practice:Mental Health Volume II. Tool , VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child most important thing you can do to make sure that the environment is safe for babies andyoung children is get down on your hands and knees in each room of your home to look at it fromyour baby s or young child s perspective.

6 Other guidelines include the following: Have Syrup of Ipecac on hand Have a fire extinguisher in your home Change smoke alarm batteries every 6months Have emergency numbers and youraddress and phone numbers next to everyphone Put covers on all electric sockets Use toy chests with lids that come off easi-ly or stay up well Put gates on all stairs (both at top and at bottom) Have furnaces and fireplaces checked forcarbon monoxide; install a carbon monox-ide detector Lock cabinets in the kitchen and bath-room; install childproof latches Use back burners when cooking, and turnpot handles away from babies and chil-dren s reach Keep chairs away from kitchen counters Take plastic covers off crib mattresses Use plastic guards for sharp corners on furniture Remove all cleaning supplies from lowcabinets Never leave a baby unattended Do not put a baby s crib near blinds, cur-tains.

7 Or anything with cords that hangdown Do not use pillows in the baby s crib Do not tie a pacifier around the baby sneck Do not let the baby sleep wearing a necklace Do not drink hot beverages while holdingthe baby Do not let babies or children play in thebathroom Do not leave breakable items within reachof a baby or child Do not put high chairs close to counters