Learning+Centers

=Learning Centers= Young children learn by doing. Teachers prepare the environment for children to learn through active exploration and interaction with adults, other children, and materials. Young children benefit from having a classroom with clearly defined, well-equipped learning centers that are arranged to promote independence, foster decision making, and encourage involvement. Participation in the learning centers is the way in which our children learn their basic readiness skills for all of the academic areas. Children think they are “playing” or “playing a game” but they are developing the skills they will use for Math, Reading, Science, etc.

At the Writing Center children:

 * Discover reasons to write (cards, letters, stories)
 * Develop letter recognition
 * Develop fine motor skills
 * Develop hand /eye coordination

At the Listening Center children:

 * Develop vocabulary
 * Listen to favorite stories
 * Learn new language patterns
 * Listen to the ideas of others
 * Develop an interest in poetry

At the Construction/Block Center children:

 * Develop perceptual skills
 * Explore spatial relationships
 * Compare sizes and shapes
 * Develop large and small muscle coordination
 * Learn to work and plan together
 * Explore problem solving techniques
 * Develop language and vocabulary
 * Explore cause and effect
 * Develop aesthetic awareness

At the Art Center children:

 * Develop creative thinking
 * Plan, design, and construct
 * Express ideas and feelings
 * Experiment with colors, shapes, sizes and textures
 * Develop eye-hand coordination and fine muscle control
 * Develop appreciation for the artistic expressions of others
 * Develop self-concept and confidence
 * Develop language

At the Library Center children:

 * Respect and care for books
 * Dictate stories
 * Develop an interest in words and books
 * Sequence pictures
 * Sequence a story
 * Develop left-to-right directionality
 * Choose books to enjoy reading again and again

At the Dramatic Play Center children:

 * Develop self-confidence
 * Act out familiar situations and roles
 * Work out problems and concerns
 * Develop interpersonal skills
 * Engage in extensive communication

At the Readiness Games Center children:

 * Create and record patterns
 * Estimate and measure
 * Sequence objects in order by size
 * Develop one-to-one correspondence
 * Make and discuss graphs
 * Develop problem solving skills
 * Count objects
 * Classify objects
 * Write and read numerals

At the Science Center children:

 * Explore the world of plants and animals
 * Observe and describe life cycles
 * Formulate and evaluate predictions
 * Recognize relationships
 * Gather simple data and draw conclusions
 * Develop visual and tactile senses
 * Classify materials
 * Use hand magnifiers and balances

At the Sensory Table children:

 * Learn to share ideas and tools
 * Make comparisons
 * Develop eye-hand coordination
 * Measure
 * Develop oral language
 * Complete a task and are responsible for cleaning up after self
 * Make predictions
 * Estimate
 * Develop fine motor skills
 * Learn to take turns

At the Puzzles and Manipulative Center children:

 * Develop perceptual skills
 * Develop fine motor skills
 * Develop problem solving skills
 * Explore basic concepts in a variety of curriculum areas
 * Experience a sense of achievement and develop self-confidence