Centers in daycare: Preschool & Pre-K Learning Centers & Classroom Layout ideas
Preschool & Pre-K Learning Centers & Classroom Layout ideas
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the thought of setting up centers in preschool? Maybe you have a million questions swirling around in your head, like “How do I know which centers I need? What should I put in each center?”
Then there’s the additional challenge of setting up centers in your already-crowded early childhood classroom so your kids can easily use, enjoy, and learn from them. Setting up centers in preschool or kindergarten can be challenging for both new and veteran teachers alike.
If you’ve ever wondered what centers are, why they’re important, and what successful centers look like, you’re in the right place!
What Are Centers in Preschool?
Learning centers in the preschool classroom are clearly defined areas, each one with a specific focus.
Here are some examples of centers you might choose to have in your classroom:
- Blocks Center
- Dramatic Play Center
- Sensory Center
- Art Center
- Library Center
- Writing Center
- Literacy Center
- Math Center
- Science Center
Each center in your classroom should be intentionally designed and set-up to encourage your little learners to freely explore the materials housed there.
Why is it Important to Have Centers in Preschool?
There are many benefits of having centers in your preschool or kindergarten classroom. Centers allow young children to learn in the most meaningful way, through hands-on play experiences, which is why they’re such a vital part of a high-quality preschool classroom.
The three main benefits of center time are:
- Oral Language Development
- Self-Regulation
- Social Skills
Some additional benefits of learning centers are:
When children are invited to explore centers independently, discipline problems may be reduced because they’re able to to practice self-regulation.
Student engagement increases when your students are allowed to choose their centers and explore hands-on activities at each center.
Setting Up Preschool Centers
There are several factors to consider when determining which learning centers you’re going to have in your classroom, the materials you should include in each area, and how they should be set up.
It can be daunting! That’s why I’ve created this super handy (and free!) center essentials guide to help walk you through everything. Be sure to grab it.
I’m not going to lie, setting-up and preparing your centers requires time and intentional planning, but investing this time up front has big payoffs for you and your students later in the school year.
When setting up learning centers in your classroom, it’s important to group similar centers together. Your centers such as the writing center, listening center, and reading or library center are usually quieter than others. While your block center and dramatic play center are areas that are noisier by nature.
Your whole group meeting area should be large enough for all children to sit comfortably. Defining this space with a rug helps children become familiar with the boundaries.
It’s best to keep your messier centers like the sensory center and the art center on hard surfaces that are easy to clean, near a sink if possible.
Your science center will work best near a window if you have one.
Planning for Learning Centers
Once you’ve set-up your learning centers, you can include materials and activities in your lesson plans for each of the specific areas to ensure you’re supporting optimal learning in every center.
It’s important to give your children choices for selecting centers. but, too many choices can quickly become overwhelming. When you group centers that focus on similar skills together, you can provide your students with opportunities to choose without overwhelming them.
You’ll also want to have a plan for managing centers, and a plan to quickly and easily label your centers.
For more information about centers, you can download my free Center Essentials Guide that walks you through setting up successful centers step-by-step.
What are Preschool Learning Centers?
Preschoolers learn best when engaged in hands-on activities that allow them to explore and discover new things.
That’s why preschool learning centers are so important! These centers provide a variety of activities that help children learn and grow.
A preschool learning center can be a lot of fun for kids. Each center also provides important educational benefits. In this post, we’ll take a look at what preschool learning centers are, and we’ll suggest some activities that you can use in the preschool classroom!
Why Should You Use Learning Centers in Preschool?
Learning centers are a key part of the preschool experience. Centers allow students to explore different areas of the classroom and learn new skills. They also allow kids to have fun while learning!
Yes, you want your kids to have fun! As a preschool teacher, you already know this! Preschool teachers are the best when it comes to keeping fun in the classroom.
Fun is an important part of learning. The more fun students find activities, the more likely they are to stay engaged. The more engaged they are, the more they are learning!
Student engagement is one of the key reasons you should use centers in preschool.
Moreover, centers help you easily include a large variety of learning topics.
Even though preschool is meant to be fun, it is also where kids are first introduced to the skills that are important for school readiness. These skills will help each young child be prepared for kindergarten – and beyond!
Types of Preschool Centers
There are several different types of preschool centers. You can use centers for teaching academics and skills.
Moreover, they are a time for exploration! Center time also helps kids develop social skills – another important part of early childhood education.
Choosing Learning Centers
When choosing centers for your classroom, these are the main areas to focus on:
- Math
- Literacy
- Fine Motor Skills
- Following Directions
- Sensory Experiences
Inside each of these areas of learning, there are dozens of different activities you can do! To help you organize your activities, choose a handful of different activities that you could use.
For example, math centers could include any of the following types of activities:
- Games
- Math Mats
- Puzzle
- Clip Cards
- Flip & Match
- On My Own
- Hands-On
With so many areas of learning to cover, centers help teachers effectively include all required content. Moreover, including a variety of activities can easily keep kids engaged all year long!
Themed Centers
Another way to keep kids engaged is to use themes throughout the year. Themed centers help students make connections across different areas of learning. It also helps kids understand how learning applies to their life in many different ways.
You can create themes around holidays, months, or units. One of our favorite units for preschool centers is farming! Here are some of our fave farm-themed activities for math centers.
CLICK HERE for Themed Preschool Centers
Farm Themed Math Center Activities
- Comparing numbers: comparing haystack
- Patterns: animal pattern cards
- Sorting objects: sorting math mats for animals
- Data graphing: a hands-on activity to answer the question “how tall is corn?”
Other Math Center Activities
Not every single activity has to be connected to the theme.
For example, not every math center has to be about farming.
Additional math activities can be more generic. These could include activities that are a staple in your classroom, such as using a dice roll game for counting 1 to 10.
- Writing numbers
- Counting 1 to 10
- Differences between letters, numbers, and symbols
- Compare objects: measure sizes to compare long and short; bigger and smaller.
- Recognize shapes
- Difference between shapes
The wonderful thing about themed centers is that they can include some staple activities. These are academic activities that kids are familiar with and consistently help with development throughout the year.
Including a variety of staple activities and themed activities, provides a balance of familiarity and fun. Once again, helping to keep kids interested!
Literacy Center Activities
Literacy development is an essential part of preschool.
These are the skills that prepare kids to read. Moreover, they help with comprehension. Comprehension skills transfer to all areas of learning – both in and out of school.
Some preschoolers have access to reading at home. However, many others do not. Therefore, it is essential to provide regular learning opportunities to help each child develop the necessary skills for reading and writing.
There are three main areas of literacy development that are important to focus on. Each of these is a great idea for a literacy center.
- Phonological awareness
- Phonics and word recognition, including the alphabet
- Concepts of print
Yes Please!
Just as with math centers, it is helpful to choose several different activities. This helps to add variety throughout the year. Here are some of our favorite activities for these three literacy centers.
- Phonological awareness
- Syllable games
- Literacy mat for initial and first sounds
- Rhyming puzzle
- Phonics and word recognition; alphabet
- Matching game for sounds and letters
- Literacy mat for letter names
- Clip cards with pictures, words, and letters
- Concepts of print
- Pocket chart game
- Literacy mat with labels
CLICK HERE for Themed Preschool Centers
Writing Center Activities
In preschool, writing activities focus on the actual skill of writing.
Begin with teaching young kids how to hold a pencil. Therefore, many writing activities will not include words or letters.
However, as the year goes on, you can introduce more challenging writing center activities. Here are some activities to help preschoolers learn to write.
- Maze
- Vocab sheet with words
- Writing pages
- Trace dotted line
- Dot to Dot
Fine Motor Skills Center
Fine motor skills include activities that help little kids learn how to use their hands. While they practice some fine motor skills in writing centers, there are several other activities to help develop these skills.
Many of the tools that help to develop fine motor skills are used in arts and crafts. Therefore, anytime you include an arts and crafts center you are probably addressing fine motor skills. These are some of the most fun centers!
These are just a handful of tools and activities you can use to help your preschoolers develop fine motor skills:
- Manipulatives
- Task card: blocks
- Clothespins or paper clip
- Dot bingo with a Qtip
- Playdough
- Beading
- Stickers
- Cutting
- Lacing cards
- Hole punch answer cards
CLICK HERE for Themed Preschool Centers
Follow Directions Centers
While following directions may not sound like the most fun skill to learn, it is important.
It is one of the areas that are important for kids to become aware of as they prepare to enter elementary school.
When teaching little kids to follow directions, it is necessary to show them WHY directions are important. Moreover, to show them in a way that is developmentally appropriate.
Arts and crafts are the perfect activities to do this. This shows kids the importance of following directions to achieve the desired outcome. If they follow the directions they will achieve the desired outcome for the art project. However, if they don’t follow directions, they will not achieve the desired result.
These are some types of activities that help teach children how to follow directions:
- Task cards
- Origami
- Directed drawing
- Follow picture sequence
- Video on iPad
- Sortin
Sensory Bin Centers
The five senses are one of the most important ways kids learn about the world! It provides young kids with the tools they need to describe their experiences in the world.
To help support and encourage this learning, it is important to include a sensory center in your classroom. Sensory centers include activities that help children understand and connect with their senses of touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight.
Sensory centers can sometimes be the ones to get left out or not used as frequently. This may be because teachers feel like they take too much time to set up or manage.
While creating sensory centers may take some time, they are worth it! Moreover, once you create a sensory activity, you can use it again. When it comes to managing these centers, some sensory centers will be easier to manage (aka clean-up) than others.
Choose sensory center activities that YOU feel are the most manageable for your classroom! Consider the resources you have access to – including outside help (like parents or teachers- aides). Sensory centers should be fun for both the kids and you; therefore, choose activities that support your classroom community.
Creating a Sensory Bin
One way to make a sensory center easy to manage is to create a sensory bin. A sensory bin includes activities for several different senses! Therefore, you do not have to create a center for each of the five senses.
One of our favorite sensory bins for preschoolers is for Easter. Create a bin that has large colored plastic easter eggs that are filled with marshmallow peeps (or other age-appropriate treat for your students). Place these eggs in a bin with Easter grass.
Give students time to play in the pin and explore opening the eggs, tasting and smelling the peeps, and touching the grass. In addition, you can have a song playing related to spring or even the sound of birds chirping! To support sight, ask students to tell you the different colors of the eggs they see.
Whether a sensory center or a math center, the most important thing is creating centers that help you have fun with your students! If you are having fun, then they are having fun! If everyone is having fun, the learning is naturally happening.
CLICK HERE for Themed Preschool Centers
Making different corners as centers of the developing environment of the kindergarten according to the Federal State Educational Standard: a selection of materials
The Federal Educational Standard requires educators to provide a developing subject environment in all groups of the kindergarten, from the first junior to preparatory. We have collected for you the most relevant articles about what to fill and how to arrange a variety of corners that will help you cope with this difficult and interesting business.
Contents
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1 Corners in kindergarten: design according to GEF
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2 Designing a group in kindergarten: tips and examples
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3 How to arrange a corner of patriotic education in kindergarten
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4 Safety corner (OBZH and SDA) in kindergarten
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5 Book corner in kindergarten
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6 Health corner in preschool educational institution: main aspects of design and content
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7 Sports corner in kindergarten
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8 Math corner in kindergarten
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9 Music corner in kindergarten
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10 Kindergarten retreat: helping kids to live in harmony with themselves
Corners in kindergarten: registration according to GEF
An overview article on how corners are determined by the educational standard, what goals and tasks they should solve, how to draw up a passport for any corner and issue it.
The list of corners is illustrated with a number of photos and videos. There are sketches and layouts of different corners.
Read the article →
Making a group in kindergarten: tips and examples
This is a general description of how you can arrange a group by zones, including the reception and exhibition areas, playing, teaching. The means of designing a group, as well as a gym are described in detail and clearly.
Read the article →
How to decorate a corner of patriotic education in kindergarten
From birth, a child is not given a feeling of love for the motherland, respect for family and folk traditions, pride in one’s people and state. All these qualities are brought up by the family and society starting from kindergarten.
Read the article →
Safety Corner (OBZH and SDA) in kindergarten
Safe Behavior Corner is one of the forms of visual work for teaching children and reminding their parents that safety, first of all, depends on them.
When caring for a small child, it is necessary to be able to foresee all adverse situations and prevent them in advance.
Read the article →
Book corner in kindergarten
Each age group should be equipped with a book center – a place for joint study of literary works with the teacher and independent activities of children.
Read the article →
Health corner in preschool educational institution: the main aspects of design and content
When designing a healthy lifestyle corner, the educator should show creativity and imagination – then he will interest not only the child, but also parents.
Read the article →
Sports corner in kindergarten
The presence of a well-designed sports corner in the group helps the educator to diversify the physical education of children and stimulates them to active independent activity.
Read the article →
Mathematical corner in kindergarten
Logic skills, knowledge of numbers and numbers, time and space are necessary for a modern person to be always aware of new and interesting things.
Logic and mathematics skills help children to assimilate and process information, highlight the main thing, build logical connections. Mathematical corners in kindergartens are called upon to develop and improve them at preschool age.
Read article →
Music corner in kindergarten
Singing, dancing, playing music on instruments activate the child’s mental abilities, lay the foundations of artistic culture and form a sense of beauty. For successful musical development in the subject-spatial environment of the group, the teacher arranges a musical corner for joint and independent activities of children.
Read article →
Privacy corner in kindergarten: helping kids to live in harmony with themselves
In each group room, the teacher arranges a special place where a preschooler can be alone with himself, relax, throw out negative emotions. Such a zone is called a corner of solitude (or, according to the Federal State Educational Standard, a center of solitude and relaxation).
Read the article →
Also on our website in the Group design section you will find useful and visual materials about other psychological, educational and creative corners and their content and design for different age groups: theatrical, disguise corner, speech development and others .
We hope that our digest will help you prepare for the new academic year easily and with pleasure. Thanks for your hard work!
- Author: Mary
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Corners in the Kindergarten (Do-it-yourself Play Zones in the preschool educational institution)
Do-it-yourself educational corners in the kindergarten are made out in a small area. It can be a part of the wall with fixed shelving, a window sill, a cork board with images of the desired subject – it all depends on the educator’s imagination, his desire and the availability of materials.
Contents
The role of corners in the development of children
Zoning in kindergarten
- Playground for outdoor games
- Role play area
- Educational area in kindergarten
- Social development area
- Nature corner
- Music development area 9001 0
- Patriotic education zone
- Creative development zone
The role of corners in the development of children The child spends most of his time here. And everything fundamental in character, behavior and habits is laid down from a very early age. That is why preschool childhood is an important period in the life of every child. At this stage, he gains experience in social relations, learns about society, learns to communicate with people, gets acquainted with acceptable forms of behavior and learns to follow them.
For the correct and harmonious development of a child, it is important to communicate with peers.
This is one of the main reasons why kids are sent to kindergarten. Factors such as the employment of parents, the need for adaptation and training, and much more also play an important role.
Children spend a lot of time in kindergarten and their activities there are very diverse: from outdoor games to quiet activities with a teacher. That is why properly organized play areas in kindergarten are of great importance for the development of preschoolers.
Kindergarten environment should be such that the child wants to go there. This is especially true for the younger group, because the children have just begun to get used to a new life and to a new team, for the first time they began to be separated from mom and dad for a long time. Everything should help to ensure that the process of adaptation to kindergarten is painless. Of great importance is the design of the kindergarten.
The design of the group in kindergarten should not be bright and flashy.
Let the light background prevail. Depicting an excessive number of cartoon and fairy-tale characters on the walls is not always justified, especially if these images are large. The kid should not be afraid of a huge cartoon turtle, which he still does not know at all. It needs to be something educational. For example, the theme of the seasons, because children in the younger group are still very young and are just beginning to learn what snow, rain, leaves on trees are. The size of the images should not exceed the norm, because the age characteristics of children do not yet allow them to focus their eyes so well in order to distinguish between large objects.
The knowledge and skills acquired by a child in kindergarten are the basis of his successful education in primary school. Here, educators unobtrusively, often in a playful way, help the child get acquainted with some school knowledge: numbers, letters, visit nature and creativity lessons. Classes are held in the form of marathons, competitions, lessons, holidays.
It should also be noted that the child independently studies the information available to him. What can help, the corners of the group in kindergarten decorated by the teacher.
Thinking through the design of the group in the kindergarten, it would be advisable to divide it into zones. The usual zoning of a group in a kindergarten is: a bedroom, a dining room, a play area and an activity area, but additional options can be provided.
Where children sleep, of course, there should be no distracting images, as, indeed, in the dining room. But we should talk about developing zones in kindergarten in more detail.
Zoning in kindergarten
It is also worth getting the opinion of the parents: by asking what they want to see in the group, by doing this you will not only show your interest, attention and respect, but, most likely, you will find initiative assistants.
For convenience, transfer all original ideas for decorating a group in a kindergarten to a drawing plan, be sure to indicate on it the names of the corners and their locations.
Depending on the vastness of the space, zoning in the kindergarten group can be quite rich. Below are the most popular zones in the kindergarten group according to GEF. Select and organize those that will fit with your current goals and objectives for the development and upbringing of children.
Zoning in the kindergarten preparatory group0003
Playground
Physical education plays the most important role in the development of children, and it is also important to remember this when planning the design of a kindergarten. Of course, in modern kindergartens there are gyms and swimming pools, but still, a mini-health corner should be provided for in the group. This area should be spacious enough. Children should be able to run and jump.
A gymnastic wall and various sports equipment would be appropriate here: hoops, balls, skittles, jump ropes. However, we must not forget that the inventory must be appropriate for the age of the kids.
left games
The design of play areas in kindergarten provides a wide scope for creativity to their organizer. There must be plenty of toys here, of course. But among their number, children should be able to navigate. Therefore, it is necessary to make thematic corners. Separately, you can organize a hairdresser with a chair, dolls and toy tools; hospital, where there will be white coats and medical supplies. You can also create a kitchen corner for girls in kindergarten. For its organization, a toy stove, dishes, food, an apron and a chef’s hat, as well as dolls in aprons are suitable.
Girls, with their favorite games of mother-daughter, tea party or shopping, will feel at home in a special playhouse.
Be sure to post it if possible.
There is a place for boys in the playhouse, they will come to visit and get acquainted with the basics of etiquette. Their play area can be placed side by side and approach its design no less original, for example, make an impromptu garage where there will be cars of different sizes and purposes: trucks, cars, dump trucks, buses, ambulances, police and fire departments. A railroad could also be built here. You can also make a small repair shop corner with toy hammers, nuts, screws, and other supplies.
Proper design of areas in kindergarten is a great opportunity for a teacher to unobtrusively show children the basics of adult life: what and how to cook, how to properly receive guests, take care of the younger ones, and much more.
9 0258 Kindergarten study area
There must be a table in the learning area where several children can sit at the same time.
There they can draw, do crafts, learn to read, count and play relaxing board games.
The filling and design of the learning area in the kindergarten should take into account the age of the children. Place here cubes, mosaics, various kinds of construction sets that do not contain small parts, develop and teach board games – here kids can practice, developing fine motor skills and expanding their knowledge of the world around them. Do not forget to make room for the simplest geometric shapes, shapes of different colors.
The safety corner can be placed separately or, if the group space does not allow, make it part of the study area. Place here information about the rules of the road, fire safety, norms of behavior indoors and outdoors.
Social Development Zone 9025 9
The previous area can be separated by a bookcase or bookcases, combined with a social development corner and a book corner.
It is advisable to locate this zone away from the place of noisy games, because, being distracted, the child will not be able to concentrate on communicating with the book. The corner should be well lit and have a place where the baby can sit down and look through the book.
Through a book, a child learns a whole range of human feelings, thoughts, relationships between characters. Identifying himself with any hero, the child takes on a certain model of behavior, which he tries to follow throughout his life. It is necessary to provide a corner with various books corresponding to the age category of children. Fairy tales, cautionary tales, books about nature, as well as educational books should be present. The corner should be regularly replenished with new interesting and colorful specimens, thereby maintaining the interest of children in it.
In the social development zone there is a place not only for books, but also for a small family history of each child. Try inviting parents and their children to choose photos for small family albums that they can proudly show to friends about family, important events, or travels.
9 0003
Nature corner
There is no doubt that the design of a corner of nature in kindergarten is an excellent basis for familiarizing a child with natural phenomena.
In the younger group, as a rule, a corner of nature is limited to indoor plants, but the children of the older group will be much more interested in studying the calendar, the change of seasons, natural phenomena, parts of plants and trees.
The theme of the corner of nature deserves special attention. It is much more interesting when the exposition changes, for example, once a quarter, then such a corner of the group will attract much more attention from the child. Approaching winter, it is useful to fill it with information on caring for birds at this time, for example, put up photographs of wintering birds, perhaps build a feeder with children at labor lessons.
Creating a greenhouse is also important.
Using the example of different types of plants, the child will understand that plants are different, that not everyone has a stem, but everyone has roots, and leaves can be of different shapes. You can add butterflies or dragonflies to your greenhouse, which kids can make on their own. And if the pots with plants are signed, it will be doubly informative. In summer, a corner of nature can be supplemented with live garden or field plants or flowers, and in autumn with fruits that nature has given.
Children will be especially interested in the living inhabitants of the natural corner in the kindergarten. There might be a cage with a hamster or an aquarium with fish, and the kids could be taught the basics of caring for animals. Before getting a pet, you must obtain the consent of all parents, be sure to ask adults if their children have allergies, and do not forget about a certificate from the veterinarian.
Pre-school institutions, as a rule, do not use the area in front of the kindergarten efficiently enough.
Rarely enough, children are involved in gardening the site, where garden corners, flower beds, garden corners are created, which can be used to develop the basics of environmental consciousness in a child.
90 258 Music Development Zone
A music corner in the kindergarten will help reveal creative talents and improve the overall level of education. If it is not possible to place children’s musical instruments there, limit yourself to pictures and a player.
Zone of patriotic education
And in the education of love for work and patriotism, a local history corner will be a faithful assistant, in which there will be the very place for objects of applied art and folk crafts that are popular in your area. Also be sure to place here the symbols and portraits of the heads of state and your region. This area will be especially decorated with dolls in national costumes, even if they are cut out of paper.
Creative Development Zone
The real decoration and pride of the kindergarten group is the children’s creativity corner. The children’s works are not only aesthetic in nature, but also stimulate the child to achieve further success and serve as a clear example of the interaction between the teacher and the child.
Creative corners in the group, as a rule, are limited to an exhibition of children’s works and crafts. But this is not the only function they can perform. For example, you can arrange cognitive corners in the preschool educational institution dedicated to the work of various people, for example, famous artists or composers.
It is not necessary to use a small space for a creative corner. For example, when preparing for the New Year, you can cut out and decorate the whole group with snowflakes: in this way, you get a “children’s creativity room”. And if you decorate the Christmas tree with home-made toys, a “Children’s Art Tree” will come out.