Children’s brain development for learning is crucial from birth to five years old. Newborns, infants, and toddlers are active learners from day one through their explorations with the material around them and their relationships with adults.

Early childhood care centers provide curriculums that guide teachers’ and caregivers’ active learning and developmentally appropriate practices for children. Teachers create learning environments for the children according to their ages and needs. Some factors to consider for the environments are the children’s age, physical space, flexibility, and age-appropriate material.

Play areas for infants and toddlers should be full of opportunities to discover, communicate, explore, pretend, and interact. Adult interaction also plays a major role in early childhood education. Parents, teachers, and caretakers build trusting relationships with children by holding, feeding, cuddling, talking, and playing nourishing comfort and a safe environment.

Children need emotionally rich environments to learn and grow they bid for attention allowing them to be known. Adult attention is a satisfactory response to the children which gives them confidence. One example of early childhood confidence is when a baby cries someone holds and comforts me. Trusting relationships promote active learning and lifelong experiences.
Infants and toddlers also require physical play, schedules and routines, nutritious meals, sensory-motor materials, sleeping routines, and problem-solving interactions for their development. Parents and teachers must develop teamwork and partnership to support the children’s early childhood learning that will sustain them through the rest of their lives.