An enabling environment is a way where the environment is used in a way to support children’s learning. The environment must be a supportive one which is catered to children’s individual needs to ensure that a child thrives and develops to their full potential. The Reggio approach provides an enabling environment, the characteristics of the Reggio approach is the environment which is classed as the third teacher.
This is an open approach to learning, it is a very child initiated approach; the setting is organised to give the child as much independence as possible. According to ‘Early Education Support – The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Years Education’ [2000], “The youngest children sleep in cocoon-like open-ended beds that allow them to
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According to Meggitt [2015], with an outdoor environment “children’s curiosity can be nurtured and their physical skills developed. Also, behaviour that may seem inappropriate or too boisterous indoors becomes perfectly natural when playing outside.” Some parents often don’t understand the benefits of playing outdoors and think it is dangerous, however it is important that EYPs express the importance of risk and challenge in a child’s learning and development; through expressing the importance of risk and challenge to parents it may carry the enabling environment from nursery to home and stimulate a child’s development even more. According to Meggitt [2015], “Children who are sheltered or overprotected from risk and challenge when young will not be able to make judgements about their own strengths and skills, and will not be well equipped to resist peer pressure in their later years.” Therefore, it is important that EYPs communicate to parents that it is important that children play in different areas which could represent risk to give them risk and …show more content…
In relation to the title, EYPs must learn how to ensure that the environment is safe, according to Meggitt [2015], “Babies should not be able to reach or pull down anything which may harm them, cover all electrical sockets and keep cupboards locked and ensure that there are no small items left lying around, as babies put everything in their mouths.” Through risk assessing the environment it becomes safer and safeguard a child’s health and safety. On the other hand, if a nursery does not risk assess the environment can be dangerous to a child’s safety and