As adults, we frequently take our physical environment for granted. Perhaps this is because we can influence it if we choose to – by, for instance, adorning our walls with art or taking the scenic route to work.

Young children, however, don’t have this agency. And their physical environment matters, perhaps even more than it does for older people. Penny Birdsall, an expert in the early learning environment, explained why this is the case.

Listen to the podcast with Penny Birdsall here: https://soundcloud.com/earlylearningreview/penny-birdsall 

Penny Birdsall will be speaking on this topic at an upcoming Gowrie NSW workshop on 28 July 2016.

This article was originally published in Early Learning Review.