Little boxes, rambling houses, and children’s agency

The revised version of Te Whāriki (2017) acknowledges children’s rights to exercise some agency in their own lives. This article responds by drawing on the author’s research in four spatially diverse early childhood education centres to consider how built environments can influence children’s agency. It argues that spatial complexity creates opportunities for children to exercise agency. The research findings challenge us to rethink approaches to both the “supervision” of children and the design of built environments, particularly in the context of an increasingly corporatised sector.