Ackerman's Theory Of Touching In Children

Touching allows us to sense temperatures and differences between objects and materials, such as those that are rough or smooth, soft or hard and wet or dry. Our sense of touch profoundly affects our perceptions and has been shown to influence thoughts and behavior and physical concepts such as warmth and hardness are amongst the initial feelings that infants develop and remember (Ackerman, 2010).For children under three years of age, touch is the most critical sense as it is importantly linked to feelings and emotions. People truly comprehend and experience their environments through the use of their skin, which enables any form of tactility and moreover, the sense of touch is also linked to the other senses, through the skin Proprioception

Psychologists and physiologists use the term haptic or hapticity to describe the ability to experience the environment through active exploration. The materials and surfaces that we encounter on a daily basis are experientially rich tools for establishing place identity and if they do not feel welcoming to the touch, they will not allow a person to feel comfortable, negating any positive experiences. The use of multiple materials can create a sense of confusion, especially to children and it is therefore important to consider the types of materials which are being used in buildings. Children can be seen to naturally reach out and touch things and one of the observations noted is that they frequently taste objects with their tongue and this almost seems to be a natural reflex. Our sense of taste helps us to detect the flavour of substances, especially the food that we consume on a daily basis and it can also be considered as an extension of our tactile sense. Thus, this simple element can be used to exploit their

Predictable rhythms are relaxing, complex harmonies are invigorating and fast beats can increase energy levels. Sounds can greatly enrich a person‟s sense of space as well as their experiences in spaces. When we hear things, we don‟t normally see what we are hearing and sounds, just like smells and things that are touched, affect people‟s moods and emotions. As they are usually exploring their environments, children enjoy out of the ordinary sounding places such as tunnels, caves, echoing walls, naturally silent spaces or even pipes (Plate 3.7) that they can speak down, as these elements allow them to stretch their imaginations. Materials sound different, such as a tin roof and a tiled roof do, when it is raining. The size, shape and proportion of buildings also affects sound and studies show that confusing acoustics in rooms can reduce children‟s understanding and attention capabilities (Spencer & Blades, 2006). Circular rooms, for example, concentrate sound and also give the visual impression of being socially desirable. Rooms and spaces which are soft furnished also tend to sound softer, warmer and moreover welcoming, rather than rooms which are hard, smooth surfaced and empty. In children‟s environments, noise can be a major source of social friction and evidence shows that it can induce