2026 ECE Wall Planner Calendar (with funding dates)

By Cheryl Greenfield.

Young children have the right to inhabit optimal early childhood outdoor environments.

Optimal outdoor environments have the potential or power to promote and sustain meaningful relationships.

The location of spaces and equipment, and how welcoming the outdoor area is for adults, along with the aesthetics are highly influential on what children do. Poorly designed and maintained environments can be detrimental to children’s development.

This article focuses on the characteristics of optimal outdoor environments within a New Zealand context.

It is based on the findings of the qualitative research I have done over the years on early childhood outdoor environments.

Early Childhood Centre Design Ideas.

We show, with photographs, a different design and approach to using space for supporting small group and project work. The design comes from a bilingual kindergarten, called a ‘Kita’ in Hamburg, Germany.  

The photographs were taken, by Sarah Alexander, during a guided tour of the facility for