A central question in child development studies is how much of a child’s mental ability is determined by nature – the genes he/she inherits from his/her parents and how much by his In addition to the strategies, the environment, whether in informal or more formal settings, has a significant impact on the way children learn and develop. We know how much our environment affects our mood, motivation, and ability to focus. It is the same for young children.

A learning environment extends beyond play area-far beyond any physical boundaries. It includes people, attitudes, ideas, and forms of behavior. In ORDER FOR A CHILD TO MAKE MOST OF HER NATURAL DRIVES, the learning environment needs to have certain qualities:

One of the most important qualities is responsivity. A child needs an environment that responds to her behavior. The quicker and more consistent the response, the more rapidly she will learn.

Another key quality is freedom. Behavioral freedom must be bounded by limits that are clearly defined and enforced by adults. Within the set limits, a child should have complete liberty
to explore. The physical confinement of a child should be kept to a minimum.

Finally, an environment for learning and raising a 21st-century child is characterized by another quality that stimulates a child’s imagination. She learns to reason more, decision-making or how to process factual information. And to imagine comes from read-aloud role-plays, pretend plays, reading.

To provide this kind of environment it is imperative to have safety, security in place.