When children enter this classroom, they will discover plenty of things to do and the freedom to explore because each center in this classroom was designed just for them. At this table the children are creating paintings with the dot painters.
At the block center, a couple of boys have decided to pull out the legos. As they play with the legos, they also communicate with each other and discovering how to cooperate and collaborate.
These children have decided they would enjoy coloring a cow the teacher set out. It is farm week and the teacher has made available a variety of farm type activities in each center. This class loves to color so the teacher always provides a variety of coloring tools and materials.
The two girls decided they wanted to explore the blocks and woodworking tools. That's right - girls like blocks and tools too!
In the two year old classroom next door, this child is exploring the water table. The water stimulates her senses as she pours, drips, and splashes about.
This two year old reaches up high to paint on the easel. Easel painting is offered everyday to these two year olds and one can see that they are quite skilled at holding the brush, dipping it in the paint, and using the entire paper to create their masterpiece of the day.
These children enjoy time with play dough. The teachers provide a variety of tools to go along with the play dough each day. As you can see here, the children each have a tray to identify their own work space.
And this child decided he would like to just sit back and enjoy looking through this book.
The use of centers in preschool is a valuable way to keep children engaged in positive and constructive activities. Centers promote independence, social skills, creativity, interests, and more. As preschoolers are given opportunities to explore a variety of centers each day, they enjoy their experience in your classroom.
Providing centers is also a useful way to manage your classroom. When a variety of interesting and age appropriate activities are available, you will find children become less bored and stay more engaged in productive, positive participation.
5 comments:
Using centers is the best way to handle classroom management (at least that's been my experience). I have much more to deal with when I've minimized using centers. Thanks for some great info.
I agree. In fact, I can hardly imagine teaching preschool without centers.
This is exactly the way we do things as well. Like Tom, we couldn't imagine any other way OR any better way in fact!
Donna :) :)
I especially love Centers at the end of the year when the kids are experienced, know where everything goes, puts it away, and delight in each new addition to their Centers! I also love watching how they mature in each Center, they go from painting themselves, to painting each other to actually painting on the paper:)
Love your blog!
My children's preschool had centers. When I stopped in the class the children were busy, knew what to do, and were able to clean up during center time. Their preschool teacher was great.
My neighbor, a former elementary teacher like myself, will be taking over the preschool where our children went. I can't wait to share this blog with her.
Thanks for sharing all your wonderful ideas!
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