Act for Children: A Study of How Architecture Can Foster Development During the Stages of Early Childhood

Abstract

What role does architecture play in fostering the stages of early childhood development? The first five years of a child's life are the most crucial years of their developmental process as they grow not only physically but also cognitively, socially and emotionally. Children are impressionable human beings drastically impacted by their surrounding environments. Through design, we can enhance the lives of the users through well informed environments that are not only healthy but safe, functional and beautiful. This paper seeks to investigate the stages of development and identify key prepared environments that facilitate learning in early child development. The results suggest that, in terms of the ideal environment for children, not one prepared environment takes precedent over the others. Scale, light, color, safety, security, spatial arrangement, and nature all play an integral role in the development of children. Designing for children is no simple task. As designers we have the responsibility and ethical duty to provide a comprehensive analysis on the needs of our clients. It is our role to ensuring a healthy and nurturing environment while providing a developmentally appropriate and stimulating environment to our nation's youngest generation.