Why Structure Is So Important In Child Care And Early Education

The word ‘structure’ is an interesting one when it’s used in the context of early childcare and early education.

What do we mean by a ‘structured’ approach? Does it mean having a predetermined curriculum and daily plan with defined outcomes? Does it mean every child in the child care centre or early school participates in the same activity at the same time? Does structure mean setting goals, boundaries and expectations for young children?

The reality is that the word ‘structure’ in childcare and early education is multidimensional.

Structure encompasses many different things and has a crucial part to play in helping young children develop some of the vital skills that they’ll use throughout their lives. Time management, communication skills, emotional regulation, independence and self-confidence are among the key tools that children learn when they experience ‘structure’ in their child care and early education environments.

A structured and balanced approach to childcare and early education provides a strong foundation for little people’s development and enables educators and caregivers to assess each child’s interests and their progress.

Let’s take a closer look at why structure is so important

The first few years of a child’s life are critical for their health and well-being. By the time the child is five years old, 90% of their brain development has taken place and all their experiences, interactions and relationships during those early years play a key role in determining the course of their lives.

Giving little people unconditional love, guidance, support, encouragement in environments where they feel safe and secure will help them grow and develop in a healthy way. Time and attention at home as well as in structured childhood care and early school programmes are the very best ways of giving children the solid foundation and powerful springboard they need to become engaged, happy, fulfilled, resilient and self-confident.

Examples of structure in early education

Establishing a routine

Consistency is hugely beneficial for young children. It gives them a sense of safety and normality and they learn to predict adults’ responses as well as moderate and control their own behaviours. Of course, there’s always room for flexibility, adaptation and negotiation, but generally speaking, it’s unhelpful for children to face lots of unexpected changes and conflicting responses.

Home routines like meal schedules and bed time are important for boundary setting and for helping young children settle, while structured routines at day care or school (drop off routine, snack time, naptime etc) help children develop healthy habits and time management around eating, playing and sleeping.

Structured child care programmes

A structured early school environment does not have to mean children learning by rote, all doing the same thing at the same time and being called out when they ‘break’ with routine.

A structured school programme is carefully and thoughtfully designed by experts to facilitate the children’s development, to instil a love of learning and to support each child to reach their full potential. For example, here at Treasured Tots Early Education, we take the Reggio Emilia approach to early education which has child-directed learning at its epicentre. The child learns about the things they are interested in, at their own pace, using whatever communication methods or activity they are inspired by.

Reggio Emilia schools are peaceful, loving and warm places where each child is supported to discover, explore and learn according to their unique creativity, capability and sense of curiosity. The classroom is carefully curated using lots of different materials and resources, with a strong emphasis on the natural world – and despite there not being a defined curriculum, the daily routine is structured to bring out the best in each child and set a strong foundation for their future.

This article on ‘Why Kids Thrive With The Reggio Emilia Approach’ talks about the educational philosophy in more detail and gives a good overview of how it informs the way our centres operate.

Time management

Structure introduces young children to the concept of time management. Through group activities like eating and sleeping times, as well as through other activities like preparing to finish the day or setting up a new game, they learn about time schedules and routine.

Social interactions and communication

Structure at childcare can help young children develop healthy social skills. They learn to express themselves, they start learning to communicate and interact with others and they start establishing relationships with others outside of their family.

When young children are introduced to a variety of activities and have a wide choice of tools and materials to play with, they will learn to communicate their emotions, have positive interactions with others, start developing listening skills and learn about empathy, tolerance and patience.

Structure also helps young children learn to accept that there are some things that they may not love doing, but which are necessary.

Structure promotes independence and self-confidence

Following a routine is a good way for young children to become more independent. They’ll soon want to manage parts of the routine themselves (washing their hands, untying their shoe laces, hanging up their backpack) and while this can be time-consuming and a bit frustrating for a harried parent, it will help them feel empowered and self-confident.

Providing rules and structure will help a child feel confident that they are loved and cared for and they’ll start doing things on their own and making their own decisions and choices.

You’re invited to see how our child care centres are structured to bring out the best in every child

If you are investigating early learning centres in Perth, we welcome you to get in touch with Treasured Tots. We have seven childcare centres in Mandurah, Bibra Lake, Fremantle, Piara Waters, Hamersley, Bennett Springs and Bicton which provide high-quality childcare and kindergarten programmes for children between the ages of 0 and 5 and we’d love to show you around one of our ‘homes away from home’.

Book a tour of any of our wonderful centres to ensure our management team is available to show you around and answer any questions you may have. We look forward to meeting you!