What are Natural Environments ?
Natural environments, also referred to as natural settings, are areas such as child care programs and community settings where a child with disabilities can learn. It is important to distinguish that a natural environment is an area where the child would naturally be, as opposed to a segregated environment.
Natural environments are the day-to-day activities and settings of family and community life. Routines such as eating, hand washing, getting the mail, or going to the store occur in the lives of most families just as snacks, playtime, and hygiene routines are the core of activities in childcare for infants and toddlers. Although caregivers participate in many routines and activities throughout the day they often do not recognize how many “teachable moments” exist in everyday life. These routines provide many meaningful opportunities for children to learn important life skills. Why is teaching in natural environments important? • Young children learn best when they are taught the skills like eating, playing, moving, and communicating during the times and in the places where they need to eat, walk, or talk to people they know and love. • Daily routines are meaningful contexts for young children to learn new skills because they are predictable, functional, and occur numerous times through
