What is Early Childhood Environments

This chapter will outline the roles of teachers within early childhood learning environments and how they may promote children's critical thinking skills. Further discussions about how children's cognitive development may be fostered is also addressed. Theoretical frameworks are integrated as well to further decipher and understand how children's critical thinking skills may be promoted within early childhood learning environments. In addition, several curriculum models in early childhood education that are focused on the Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Tools of the Mind, High Scope, and Waldorf approaches are presented and applied to how they may enhance children's critical thinking skills as well as their overall development.