Design strategies for enhancing cooperative behavior in children in daycare facilities

Children are influenced by the physical aspects of the interior and exterior environment. Studies reported that environments suitable for children should provide opportunities to enhance the development of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social skills. The environment plays a significant role in the child’s development since children are in a rapid brain development process. Physical design features, such as color, lighting, flooring, and structural design have vital influences on children’s behavior and should be considered in designing an environment for children. A systematic literature review was conducted using Google Scholar and Science Direct. The search was based on keywords such as children, design, design features, affordances, Vygotsky’s cognitive development theory, child preferences, child development, positive distraction, Gibson’s ecological theory, and so on. This study tries to understand the relationship between physical design features and children’s behavior and recommends a set of physical design solutions and strategies for children’s environments.