Page 90 - PSPS: A Training guide

where they play, where their care is provided and where their learning is supported. For
children aged between 3 and 6 years old, their main environments are:

The preschool
The preschool environment is play focused, and supports learning through that
play. Children generally move fluidly between inside and outside spaces, and
table top activities are limited.
Home

Home is a child’s familiar and safe space during periods of change, like the
transition to school. It is the critical connection between preschool and primary
school, and is where parents and children talk about and prepare for the move to
school.
The primary school

The school environment is education focused, with elements of play built into the
infant curriculum.

All three of these environments are critical to a child’s development because
supportive and inclusive environments help children to:
Make choices

Develop the confidence to express themselves

Develop, practise and master skills

Make discoveries about themselves and the world around them

Work through challenges and solve problems

It is important that children’s environments are a combination of flexible indoor and
outdoor spaces, support different ages and stages of development and are adapted
to meet children’s changing needs throughout the year.

Understanding children’s needs

There are two parts to understanding children’s needs in the context of creating
environments that support a meaningful transition:

Making the preparation for transition a part of their current environment

Preparing them for the move between two different environments

This means incorporating the transition into conversation, play and learning.
A preschool practitioner might ask a child ‘when you think of school, what do you see?’
and a teacher might prompt a conversation about the best memory from preschool.
This enables the child to see the connection between places and how they belong
there.