The physical space of an infant/toddler classroom can pose many issues to both the children and the adult staff responsible for them. Teachers, and often school administrators, must set up a carefully planned, safe space for infants and toddlers. There may be multiple challenges that face the educator when conceiving of an appropriate idea for room design. These may include selection of furniture, placement of furniture and other objects, feeding and sleeping areas, storage and overall safety. A well arranged space can help mitigate issues that often occur in infant/toddler classrooms, such as physical accidents, biting and toy-taking.
Infants and toddlers are not yet ready for the more sophisticated social interactions seen in preschool and older children. By the end of the second year of life, toddlers typically demonstrate only parallel play abilities. Parallel play includes side-by-side, or nearby, play in which the children may mimic each other or engage in the same activity without true social interaction. Encouraging social play may pose a challenge or become an issue in the infant/toddler classroom. Children may not want to interact, or may show problem behavior such as tantrums or biting when asked to share. It is vital that these negative social behaviors do not become a recurrent issue in the classroom. In these cases, teachers must step in and mediate the situation through their words and by modeling acceptable behaviors such as non-violence and sharing.
Parents and adult relatives can present a wide array of issues, both positive and negative, for the infant/toddler classroom. While some children may have a difficult time adjusting to the school setting or separating from parents, adults can have an equally hard time with this. Parents who are unable or unwilling to trust the infant or toddler teacher or who constantly second-guess educational decisions may pose an issue to the continuity of care. Additionally, parent visitation may cause problems and issues for both the child and the classroom as a whole. Parents who do not choose to volunteer or visit the classroom may alienate the teacher or lower overall class morale. On the other hand, parents who over-visit the classroom may become intrusive and not allow the necessary time for the infant or toddler to adjust to her new setting.
By about eight months of age, many infants have begun to crawl. As the child moves into the toddler years, he will develop physical skills such as walking and running. The growing mobility of an infant or toddler is an issue that every early childhood educator must contend with. Teachers should encourage positive physical development by providing clear, unobstructed space for the children to move in. Additionally, teachers must be ultra-vigilant when watching regular classroom play. A newly crawling infant can quickly scoot away from adult eyes, putting the child in physical danger. Walking and running toddlers can easily trip, fall or run into each other without adequate adult supervision.