Toddlerhood - Design a Play Environment: Home

You have been tasked with designing a play environment which could be anything from a bedroom, a backyard, a playground, a play area within a hospital setting or some other play space.

You must demonstrate and explain how this design enhances a toddler’s locomotor, fantasy, and self-control skills.

...Then follow Noodletools Tutorial

Noodletools is our citation generator. Used correctly, it will format your citations for you and ensure you get full credit for providing your sources. 

You have 4 options to complete your design for submission. 

1. You may make a 3d model using materials from a craft store such as Michaels (possibly using an empty cardboard box as a base).
2. You may use graph paper to measure out and draw out your play space with the appropriate items to support your choices.
3. You may use an online 2d or 3d virtual space application to build an appropriate play area (ie. https://floorplanner.com/)
4. You may create a google doc, google slide, or other online application to map out your space using pictures representing your design choices.

Remember you must justify your design choices in writing based on your research on what is developmentally appropriate for the elements of a toddler play environment. 

UConn ECE students are required to use at least two sources from the UConn Library databases. Make sure you have your Net ID and utilize the databases listed below:

Child and Adolescent Development Databases

If you do not have access to the UConn Databases you may find some good information in the following WHS state databases:

ResearchItCT Onesearch

Username: ctlibresearch

Password: Spring20!

• What are some developmental tasks of toddlerhood?
• What are some psychosocial crises specific to toddlers?
• What are the central processes for solving those psychosocial crises? How does this affect the ego and/or core pathology?
• How would your design choices connect to developmental tasks and psychosocial crises of toddlerhood? 
• How would your design choices encourage positive development of toddlers? Most importantly:
  • How would your design choices enhance locomotor skills?
  • How would your design choices enhance fantasy skills?
  • How would your design choices enhance self-control skills?
• If a toddler had a disability, would they be able to access the space effectively?
• What other questions might you have?