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Writer's picturePatricia Mezu LL.M, M.Ed., AMI Montessori Diploma

Creating the Ideal Learning Space


Best Early Childhood Consultant Dubai, UAE

The environment of a preschool classroom holds the key to a child’s success, development and growth during the time that he/she is in attendance. As a minimum the ‘environment’ extends to elements of physical, psychosocial, social and emotional. 


Creating a place of exploration, safety, peace, and robust learning is essential. ‘The prepared environment’ (a term used by Dr. Maria Montessori) is a carefully planned environment. It is planned with young learners in mind, based on daily observations, so that the teacher/practitioner/directress meets the requirements and interests of all children. 


Think about this - a prepared environment is a three-dimensional representation of any chosen curriculum or early childhood educational ethos. It is designed to meet the developmental needs of children and promote independence and learning. The environment is carefully arranged and organised to provide children with opportunities for self-directed exploration and learning. Reggio Emilia approach popularly and aptly refres to the environment as the 'Third Teacher'.

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Universal Design within early childhood education 

There are multiple ways to prepare an environment for young learners. 

Here are a few universal principles.


  • Provide for children of all learning abilities; create an inclusive and accessible environment.

  • Provide for children with multiple languages.

  • Work with strategies for teaching young learners with emotional or behavioural issues; offer trauma-informed care.

  • Use child-sized furniture and resources/material.

  • Implement safety measures to minimise exposure to hazards.

  • Take on board universal design principles for the environment - equity and flexibility in use, simplicity, intuition, tolerance for error, and low physical effort. 

  • Draw on the benefits of the cultural context.

  • Provide multiple pathways to learning. 

  • Rely on robust measures for parental engagement. 

  • Give engaging and meaningful opportunities for learning. 

  • Build on naturally occurring opportunities in learning.

  • Incorporate indoor and outdoor play.

  • Say yes to high levels of differentiated learning. 

  • Use open-ended techniques for teaching and learning. 


Questions for Reflection


Establishing a consistent process for reflection as a professional is pivotal to your success.


  1. What systems do you have in place that make sure you/your staff prepare the environment for young learners daily?

  2. How could you enhance or improve these systems?

  3. What resources do you refer to, to keep up to date with best practices in this area? 


Until Next Time


Remember, this entry provides only a snippet of information. A taster to trigger details that you as an early years practitioner or parent may have overlooked, or not visited recently. 


If you are on the subscription, you will know that I coach and mentor early years educators leaders and parents of preschoolers. I advocate a ‘better together’ approach.


That’s why I started the Early Years Education Leaders Forum seven years ago, one of a few communities that I facilitate. It is all in service of young learners. 


Do you need a professional friend? 


Someone to bounce ideas off, as you navigate leadership in early education? 



Patricia Mezu M.A.Ed.


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