Imagine yourself as a child and look at the classroom from different perspectives: What can I see and reach?

According to Resilient Educator the classroom environment for preschoolers should be a safe, creative landscape that enhances the learning process.

That is true.

Learning environment should be all that and more. The classroom should be specifically designed for little learners, the children - and with children!

These days when many children are also learning from home - home is the classroom!  These tips apply in home classrooms too. The order of furniture can be changed every now and then as well as the order of materials and toys that are available for the children. One thing that could always remain the same in home classrooms, is the place for table activities and homework, so that children know that on this chair and around this table is time to focus and pay attention.

How to assess the classroom as learning environment?

Typical learning environment is the classroom. Imagine yourself as a child and look at the classroom from different perspectives:

• What can I see and reach?
• What interests me in the room?
• What kind of possibilities are there for child initiated creative play or visual arts? How about ball games or resting?
• Are children "present" in there, are their art works and photos visible?
• Ask children's opinions about the classroom; what do they like and what would they like to change?

Keep the "child glasses" on and make a list of things that could be changed or added in the classroom. Make sure to double check that the environment is safe for the children (electrical cords, scissors, small items, steps...).

Versatile learning environments promote learning

Learning can happen anywhere, both in the built environment or in nature.

In Finland we think that learning does not only happen inside classrooms, but the entire city can actually be the learning environment!

Get 6 free lesson plans aligned with the Finnish curriculum!

Therefore, think about the environments you can incorporate in learning and add them in your curriculum. Libraries, forests, beaches, museums, football fields, neighborhoods... Learning can happen anywhere, both in the built environment or in nature.

When you plan the learning environments, take the children's ideas and wishes with you.

Ask the children:

• What kind of classroom would you like have?
• What would you like to do in your classroom?
• Where would you like to go for a visit outside the classroom?
• What is your favorite place?

After you get some ideas, introduce ways to incorporate both indoor and outdoor activities into the schedule. Think of proper supplies and materials that are considered developmentally appropriate for preschool classrooms.

Also think about the details inside your classroom: alternative seating, interesting displays on children's level, toys and materials available, place for resting and reading...

Happy learning - in and out!

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Here are steps about how to create a preschool curriculum! Define in a written form....

1. Learning goals & guidelines

This is an important, theoretic part of the curriculum. Pay attention to the quality of research you use and also to the accuracy of learning goals. Keep in mind that it is not necessary for children to accomplish a set of learning goals in a specific order, but at their own individual pace as we all are unique learners.

• Key elements of the state/city early learning standards
• Learning goals for children in each learning area
• Relevant and up-to-date research on childhood development
• Description of the group of children (needs, streghts, interests...)
• Introduction of the educators

2. Values, ethos & teaching

As much as children learn from teachers, teachers learn from children. In this section of the curriculum, discuss about the values and ethos of your preschool or early learning center. Open up how you communicate with the children and families, what type of behaviour and cooperation you value, how do you plan the activities and what drives your work community.

For example, in the Finland's National Core curriculum for ECEC defines values as follows:

• Intrinsic value of childhood
• Growth as a human being
• Rights of the child
• Equity, equality, and diversity
• Diversity of families
• Healthy and sustainable way of living.

GET 6 FREE LESSON PLANS ALIGNED WITH THE FINNISH CURRICULUM

Discuss and define the values that you stand behind of and list them clearly in your curriculum along the other important framework:

• Underlying values, ethos
• Communication styles with children and families
• Teaching styles
• Planning of activities

3. Learning environments

Imagine yourself as a child and look at the classroom from different perspectives: What can the child see and reach?

According to Resilient Educator the classroom environment for preschoolers should be a safe, creative landscape that enhances the learning process.

That is true.

Learning environment should be all that and more. It should be designed for children - and with children! Typical learning environment is the classroom. Imagine yourself as a child and look at the classroom from different perspectives: What can the child see and reach? What interests the child in the room? Are there possibilities for creative play and visual arts? How about ball games or resting?

In Finland we think that learning does not only happen inside classrooms, but the entire city can actually be the learning environment! Therefore, think about the environments you can incorporate in learning and add them in the curriculum. Libraries, forests, beaches, museums, football fields, neighborhoods... Learning can happen anywhere, both in the built environment or in nature.

• Ask the children what kind of classroom would they like have
• Ask the children where they would like to visit outside the classroom
• Introduce ways to incorporate both indoor and outdoor activities into the schedule
• Provide information on supplies and materials considered developmentally appropriate for preschool classrooms
• Think about the details inside your classroom: alternative seating, interesting displays on children's level, toys and materials available, place for resting and reading a book...

When the pandemic hit a year ago, early childhood education centers faced a huge challenge in educating children in India. Podar Jumbo Kids Platinum in Mumbai, a New Nordic Partner school, looked at the situation as an opportunity to learn and grow as a team of parents, teachers and children with the thought that “Learning should never stop.” 

The solution

Podar Jumbo Kids Platinum team implemented the New Nordic School education system online. New Nordic School’s early years offering consists of the Nordic Baccalaureate Exploration curriculum, global pedagogy and the Kindiedays Pedagogical Management solution. The three components helped the team to make a smooth shift from physical school to virtual school.

The Nordic Baccalaureate Exploration curriculum enables teachers to design activities with resources available at home that will help children learn. The teachers emphasized on interaction, motivation and mainly on providing choices to children in the process of making them independent. The curriculum provided flexibility and agility for the teachers with the primary objective that learning should be fun.

In this virtual implementation, Kindiedays platform helped teachers to document their learning by collecting picture evidence from parents and for parents to understand the development progress of their child. 

Podar Jumbo Kids Platinum realized that new ways of working are required

We asked ourselves  “Why should learning stop?”.  And saw the value of what we have, and decided to get the most of it. Rather than having nothing, we can do so much and let the children get the opportunity to continue learning.

The opportunity in crisis is learning & growing together as parents, children, teachers and friends. Then virtual sessions and new technology was the solution to keep us growing.

It has been over a year and I think most of us are thinking and surely hoping the topic 'Covid-19' would be over by now, but all countries are not that lucky yet. It is still on our newspapers daily. Therefore, it is good to double check how the children are doing and how they are processing all this in their heads. These tips from UNICEF help children to feel more comfortable:

ASK AND LISTEN

Encourage children to talk, so you can find out what they know. Listen with full attention and let the children know that they can talk to you anytime. Eg. drawing might help with talking. Do not minimize the children’s concerns. If the children are very young, there is no need to introduce new fears – just remind about good hygiene habits.

Let children learn despite Covid-19 - Kindiedays Blended Learning

TELL THE TRUTH IN A CHILD-FRIENDLY WAY

Children have a right to truthful information, but adults also have a responsibility to avoid distress. Use age-appropriate language and be sensitive to the level of anxiety. If you can’t answer their questions, don’t guess. Use it as an opportunity to explore the answers together from trusted sources like UNICEF or WHO.

SHOW GOOD HYGIENE PRACTICES

Teach children how to wash hands properly with warm water and soap. Tell also how to cover a cough or sneeze with their elbow. Ask to tell you immediately if she/he feels sick. Show good example by wearing a mask and using hand disinfect.

OFFER PLAY & ROUTINES

Give children opportunities to play and relax, for example outdoors. Keep regular routines if possible, especially before bedtime, or help create new safe routines in a new environment. If your child feels unwell, explain that they have to stay in quarantine because it is safer. Reassure that you know it is hard or boring at times, but that following the rules will help keep everyone healthy.

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As the Curriculum is one of the most essential factors in quality early childhood education, it is never out of topic. Let's dig deeper with the help of US National Association for the Education of Young Children and Finnish National Agency for Education!

What is a curriculum?

According to USA National Association for the Education of Young Children:

Children learn more when there is a well-planned and implemented curriculum, therefore it is important for every school and early childhood education center to have its curriculum in written form.

The curriculum consists of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and understandings children are to learn, plus all the plans through which those gains will occur.

Implementing a curriculum always yields outcomes of some kind—but which outcomes those are and how a program achieves them are critical.

The curriculum helps young children achieve goals that are developmentally and educationally important.

→ Download a broad set of lesson plans aligned with the Finnish Curriculum

The curriculum does this through learning experiences (including play, small group, large group, interest centers, and routines) that reflect child development in general and the interests and skills of these children in particular. Furthermore, about the sequences in which children acquire specific concepts, skills, and abilities, building on prior experiences.

Teachers use the curriculum and their knowledge of children’s interests in planning relevant, engaging learning experiences; and they keep the curriculum in mind in their interactions with children throughout the day.

- National Association for the Education of Young Children

In this way they ensure that children’s learning experiences—in both adult-guided and child-guided —are consistent with the center’s goals for children and connected within an organized framework.

At the same time, developmentally appropriate practice means teachers have flexibility—and the expertise to exercise that flexibility effectively—in how they plan and implement curricular activties in their classrooms.

In Finland, the National core curriculum is every teacher's guidebook. Learn more how the curriculum guides early childhood education in Finland.

→ Apply Finnish national core curriculum in your teaching with Kindiedays

The Finnish ECEC curriculum has three tiers, it consists of:

1. The National Core Curriculum for ECEC
2. Local (city) ECEC curricula
3. Children’s individual ECEC plans

→ Download Child's individual curriculum template