AGE-

APPROPRIATE
PEDAGOGIES

Early years learning spaces

Early years teachers deliberately, purposefully and thoughtfully make decisions in
co-constructing social, temporal and physical environments that are motivating, engaging, Early years environments
flexible, inviting, challenging and supportive for children. The Characteristics of age-
appropriate pedagogies are central to the decisions teachers make about these environments; The social environment
the social environment, the temporal environment and the physical environment. The social environment of indoor and outdoor early years learning spaces may be characterised by:
• an atmosphere where children feel safe, a sense of belonging and security
• positive relationships that foster motivation to learn, social collaboration, engagement
and enjoyment
• adult leadership and scaffolding
The social • high quality verbal interactions, child-child and child-adult

environment • sustained, shared thinking in collaborative learning.

The temporal environment

The temporal environment of indoor and outdoor early years learning spaces may be characterised by:
• responsive and flexible routines and transitions
• a balance between child and adult initiated learning experiences
• opportunities for spontaneous and planned learning
• a range and balance of pedagogical approaches

Characteristics • extended periods of time to engage in sustained learning experiences.

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The physical environment

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The physical environment of indoor and outdoor early years learning spaces may be characterised by:
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• opportunities for children’s voices to be considered and reflected in the design and care of
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the space
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• opportunities that support age-appropriate risk taking, trial and error and challenge
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• areas for children to engage in individual, small and whole group learning experiences that may be
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child and/or adult initiated

• active engagement in the natural environment
• active engagement and sensory exploration.
Reflecting on early years learning spaces
This resource is intended for use by teachers and school teams in reflecting on the form, function and aesthetics of early years learning spaces and the possibilities that exist for enacting age-
appropriate pedagogies. The Characteristics of age-appropriate pedagogies are unpacked as points for consideration that may assist decision-making when reflecting on social, temporal and
physical environments.

Characteristic Points for consideration Decision-making

Opportunities for: Social Temporal Physical

Active • children’s enhanced focus,

concentration, motivation and
self-regulation
• interaction within a range of learning
environments
• physical and embodied engagement
in learning
• indoor and outdoor learning

Agentic • children’s voice in their learning

• children’s ideas and interests to be
acknowledged and valued
• real world understandings
and experiences
• child decision-making.
Characteristic Points for consideration Decision-making

Opportunities for: Social Temporal Physical

Collaborative • children and teachers to co-construct

learning
• child to child interactions
• child to teacher interactions
• sustained shared thinking and action

Creative • children to consider “What if?”

• provocations encouraging
investigation, inquiry, artistry
• exploration of/through diverse open-
ended resources
• new ways of thinking

Explicit • teachers to clarify the purpose,

processes, skills and understandings
associated with a learning experience
• children to know the purpose,
processes, skills and understandings
associated with a learning experience
• children to be informed participants
in their learning
• teachers to value children as
informed participants.
Characteristic Points for consideration Decision-making

Opportunities for: Social Temporal Physical

Language rich • children to employ and model

and dialogic rich language
• teachers to employ and model
rich language
• meaningful dialogues between
children
• meaningful dialogues between
children and teachers

Learner • children’s physical, intellectual,

focused cultural, social and personal
experiences and perspectives to be
acknowledged, valued and enacted
• differentiated learning
• individual learning styles to be
supported

Narrative • personal, written, oral and digital

stories to be acknowledged
• production of narratives through
active processes
• comprehension of narratives through
active processes
• play to be used as a vehicle for
the narrative.
Characteristic Points for consideration Decision-making

Opportunities for: Social Temporal Physical

Playful • children to innovate and enact new

possibilities
• making connections through
imagination and creativity
• exploration of alternate worlds and
ways of thinking
• playfulness to be enacted within
pedagogical practices

Responsive • child, context, content and discipline

appropriate learning
• structure and spontaneity
• open-ended and specific tasks
• child-led and teacher-led learning

Scaffolded • modelling, encouraging,

questioning, adding challenges and
giving feedback
• children’s learning to be supported
by their peers
• children’s learning to be supported
by adults
• varying the level of support provided
as children gain increasing mastery.