What to Do During Your Preschool Learning Centers

In preschool classrooms, centers give preschoolers a chance to work in small groups or individually on specific activities designed by the teacher. Center time is a great way for preschoolers to build on social and emotional skills as they learn how to play and explore cooperatively with their peers. Center time also helps young children become more self aware as they discover their interests and practice self regulation during their interactions with their peers. What you do during preschool learning centers will help support your preschoolers growth within each developmental domain.

USE EVERY AREA OF THE CLASSROOM

Learning centers do not have to be limited to just table time, block area, and the math/science center. Make sure you use the entire classroom for your centers. This will give your preschoolers plenty of space, but also will ensure that they are working on building skills in all developmental areas each day.

The reading area is an area that should always be used during center time, but is often left out. It is one area of the classroom that should never be off limits. Preschoolers need a place that is quiet and calm to recharge. During center time you can also set up activities to go along with a featured book in the reading area and let children listen to audio books that they can follow along with.

BUILD ON SKILLS

Although the activities that you plan for center time need to be fun and engaging, that is not the primary goal for centers. Each center should build on skills from multiple developmental domains. When you plan with intentionality you are able to help all of your preschoolers work towards their developmental goals with just a few activities.

For example, when setting up your building, blocks, and loose parts center you could set up an activity for building houses if you are focusing on a home theme. Instead of just having them build though, provide paper, rulers, and pencils so that they can plan out their construction first. Now they will be building on fine motor skills, language and literacy skills, cognitive skills, and social-emotional skills as they work collaboratively with their peers.

KEEP THE ACTIVITIES OPEN-ENDED

When it comes to center time activities in preschool, there is often an end product expected. There does not have to be though. However, the activity can still be open-ended even if there is an end product. When you leave your preschoolers the freedom to be creative and to decide what materials they will use and how, they are more likely to stay engaged longer and learn more from the experience as well.

PARTICIPATE WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLERS

When you are actively engaging with your preschoolers during center time, you are able to scaffold their learning to the next level. By watching how you interact with others and with the materials, your preschoolers learn so much about the world around them. You are able to model positive conflict resolution skills, different techniques for using materials, problem solving skills. Your preschoolers are constantly learning from watching and listening to you, so use that knowledge to help support them in their learning.

OBSERVE

There is no bad time to be making observations of your preschoolers. They are always working towards their developmental goals, even if they do not realize it. During center time multiple skills are being reinforced through the activities that you have intentionally planned, so it is an ideal time to get positive observations to include in their authentic assessments.

The most important things that you can do during your preschool center time is to be engaged with your preschoolers as they interact with the well planned activities that you created for them. They will learn and grow so much through these concentrated learning times, even if they only participate in one or two learning centers each day.