Most preschools have Centers. Or, that is what I hear :) My preschool hasn't had a formal "center time" so far, but I have sure thought about it. We have an hour of choice time each day, where kids can use any activity in the school, a daily whole-group project, and a variety of outdoor activities after lunch. Each year I have made a step towards centers, or work-stations, (like buying a set of three awesome mini tables and chairs that are perfect for centers, and then the next year adopting The Get Set For School Curriculum with many small-group mini lessons) but I never made the actual jump. This year that is all going to change! During my Summer break, while I was off dancing tango across the country, I was secretly thinking of Center Time! In the back of my mind I was throwing around ideas about: set-up, routines, or how in the world I was going to get ten kids to stay focused at various centers with only me there to supervise. Especially because I wanted to lead one of the centers and get some extra-small group time with the kids each day. It was a lot of pondering. But finally, this past week, I had a magical thought. Preschoolers love anything hands-on! They also LOVE pictures of themselves. Like, really, really love them! So, I decided to combine these two things to create my own Center system. I can't wait to try it out this Fall. In case you are curious, here is what I have been working on the past week:
Laminated Mini Pics
I asked all my parents to send me a good picture of their child's happy little face! Then I used these photos to make mini laminated photo cards with velcro scares stuck to the back of them. They are too cute!
Velcro Up The Centers!
After I had velcro on my mini pictures of the kids, I had to decide how many kids I would want at each of my center activities. Most of my center options are in tubs or baskets so I added velcro squares to the different tubs (in places where you can't see them while they are on the shelves). If I wanted four kids allowed at the block center, for example, I put four velcro squares on the block bin. This way when the kids go to pick their center they can easily see if there is still a velcro space available! If there is, they can stick their cute picture right on there and get started. If all the spaces are taken they have to try something else. I plan to have kids rotate through three center choices, rotating every ten minutes...so they will get a chance to visit all three available centers each day. I'll have fun picking which three center choices we will have out each week, hopefully connected to our learning goals for the week or month! I love that one of the centers can be with me at our large table, working with 3-4 kids on a Get Set For School Mini Lesson.
The Flow
I am excited to get the kids set up with this new routine. The first two weeks will be mostly about learning our routine of using our pictures and velcro squares, learning to work at the different centers together, and how to rotate. Once the first two weeks pass I plan to run one of the centers with an activity from Get Set For School at our large table. The other two centers will be student guided. One in our Centers Room (pictured above), and one in our large Calendar room on the floor. This should give us a lot of options for activities! All those lovely tubs have their set number of velcro squares ready for Fall!
Center Variations
I spent a little extra time making photo/name cards (and laminating them with velcro) to put inside my bins for all of the possible center activities I would like to have out. This way, if I want to put a new activity in a bin, I can easily change the label to show the kids the new option. This should come in handy later in the school year when we may want centers that match what we are learning about! Sometimes I try to think ahead :)
Do you have centers in your preschool? Or does your child love the center system their teacher uses? I would love to hear and share ideas!
My son has centers and/or stations at his preschool session. There are 3 kids to a center but no specific time allotment unless a child really wants to do something specific. My son doesn't necessarily visit all centers/stations each day. One of his goals at home and at school is to be able to play longer with materials so if the teacher is comfortable she lets him play as long as he wants at a center. At first, we think he started to generalize all play to the short segments a more structured center approach offered. Allowing him to play longer helps him understand he can play longer with something. Work in progress!
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Laure
9/12/2013 10:27:36 am
I love that his preschool lets him spend as much time as he wants in a center. Sometimes it takes them awhile to get what they are doing done. I don't like interrupting a working child who is interested and engrossed in something, so they can do something I choose. I let the children lead me. I teach prek four year olds.
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Love Preschool
9/13/2013 06:33:28 am
Hi Sarah!
I am so glad to hear that your son loves Center Time and is gaining such valuable skills! At my preschool the kids have an hour of Choice Time (where the can use any of our center options, as well as the activities in both of our play rooms) before I begin this more structured Center Routine (which I hope will still give children the chance to explore the activities in ways that they choose). During this choice time it is less structured, so the kids can stay at their chosen activities for as long as the wish :) I think a balance is so important! As an elementary school teacher I have been trained to guide children as well as let them explore so I hoping my Centers will do that as I pick different activity choices and the kids get to choose how to use them. I am sure I will be continuing to work on my Center Routine for years to come...I feel so lucky to get to hear so many wonderful ideas from parents and teachers. Thanks for sharing!
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Laure
9/12/2013 10:24:57 am
Absolutely you'll love having centers. I use centers in my Prek classroom. This is my first year in Prek but I've also taught Kinder for a total of 10 years. I've always used centers in my classrooms. This year I have a center pocket chart where students put their names to choose their center. They are free to choose and move from center to center as they wish. I monitor what I call the center hoppers so I can redirect them and help them stay in a center longer than a couple minutes. I have 10 kids and 6-8 centers from which to choose each day. Creating center, Constructing center, Dramatic Play center, Storytime center, Fun and Games center and added just today a Technology center. I will be adding a Discovering center next week which has our "sand box/water table" that I plan on putting various things in throughout the year. There are sides to it that are flat surfaces to put things as well. We use the "Happily Ever After" Reading program which I started this week. We do that whole group. Once students are comfy with center time without my help reminding them to clean up before they leave a center or problem solving without me all the time, I will work with small groups to reinforce and extend the learning from whole group. Math is also whole group. I teach in a small catholic school with one class per grade and my Prek is all day 8-3. I look forward to other replies!
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Donna
9/12/2013 11:58:26 am
I also teach in a small Catholic school. It is very different being with older children in the school and not just preschool. I have centers where children choose their own centers. I would love to hear from you on what your school does to include the preschool in with the rest of the school.
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Donna
9/12/2013 12:09:49 pm
I teach in a small preschool in Kentucky and I would love to learn more about your preschool in Haiti.
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Neha Rafiq
9/13/2013 04:03:58 am
can u plz guide me if i have a small room with 25 kids how many centres i can have in my class and it would be very helpful if u put the pics of learning centre, right now im having reading,writing,and home centres in my class
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Love Preschool
9/13/2013 06:37:24 am
Thanks for sharing Laure! I hope you enjoy the transition from Kindergarten to PreK! I am also an elementary school teacher and it was an adjustment when I first opened my preschool, but I couldn't be happier now :) It sounds like you have a lot of wonderful center choices...I would love to add a technology center at some point!
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Krista
9/12/2013 10:48:35 am
Centers have always been a big part of my classroom. This year I went from the 10 minutes and 6 center rotation to a 20 min 3 center rotation. I combined my 6 centers to equal 3 to give the children more space to play and explore. I have read that most children cannot get fully involved in their play until after the 10 minute mark. It was getting chaotic, with the kids getting all the toys out and set up then having to clean it up before they really got to play. I have numbered my centers 1,2,3. I then have large craft sticks with the numbers on them. I have 12 kids in my classroom so there are four 1's, four 2's and four 3's in a bucket. Each child is called up to pick a stick. They then go the center that corresponds to the number on the stick. When the timer rings after 20min. the children clean up and wait by their number to rotate to the next center. This allows the children to play with different groups each day and learn about waiting to get to another center and taking turns.
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Love Preschool
9/13/2013 06:45:39 am
Thanks for Sharing Krista!
I am excited to see if 10 minutes is enough time for my kids to really begin to enjoy their center. It sounds like my choice time (which is an hour long) really gets kids involved in the larger activities that require all of the set up and involvement that other programs are using for Centers. During this time kids can move between activities or stay for as long as they wish :) My Center Routine is structured to be a little bit different than our choice time, so less time and shorter activities. It is a learning process and I am excited to see if it works out for the kids!
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m'lis
9/12/2013 10:51:12 am
Hello, I have been teaching preschool for 20 years and centers is all I know. I like the organization that you get with centers~ you can have theme related toys and/or activities for each center. I have 8 centers~blocks, table games(manipulatives), dramatic play, science/sensory table, library, writing, computer, and art. Usually the children transition from center to center on their own, but I have an art project or writing activity that I am working with small groups and rotate the children randomly. I also have an assigned number of children that can be in a center, the children use foam people with their names on them and the children rotate as the centers become open from others moving in or out of the centers or coming over to work with me in the small group.
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Debby
9/12/2013 11:24:37 am
I have taught pre k for 8 years in a grant funded public school. Because of the grant, we have to have child directed center time for the majority of our day....I have 12 different centers around the room, sand table, water table, Lego table, playdough table, block centers, table toys center, light table, dramatic play, art center, writing center, floor puzzles, computer center and chill out center (that's a new one, because I have several kiddles that need to go chill out and breathe, focus, soothe themselves etc.) Eventually, I will add science center, music center, listening center and promethian board center. We have morning message for about 15 minutes, then "big center time, where the kiddles choose their center for what seems like forever...but it's not really...they can stay the whole time or they can move if they clean up their part and can find an open spot. Only 4 or less to a center, too! Chill center is for one at a time...and the kids choose to go there when they get stressed or I can invite one to go there with me...where we practice calming down. Then after "big centers" we transition back to the large group carpet where we have songs and story time...Afterwards we go to "little centers" where I teach a group, my assistant teaches a small group and the others are assigned tasks at different tables. Four to a group for this one... and the grouping has to be very flexible and based on the skills each kid needs. Then finally it's lunch at 12:45 and outside centers at 1:15. At 1:45 we go down for naptime...then snack, pack and catch the bus! I can't imagine not having centers.
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Tori
9/12/2013 11:43:31 am
Hey, I have been a preschool teacher for almost a year at an orphanage in Haiti. I have a mixture of special needs and emotionally disturbed children. I've done centers off and on, but have had issues with all the kids wanting to be at one center. When I encourage others or tell them they can't do this one because its full they just sit there and stare at it and I feel bad that they won't get to experience all the centers. I am sometimes alone and sometimes I have two other adults in the room, but the other two adults are not consistent due to their other duties. I love the idea of centers and breaking up/learning to take turns, but sometimes it is just too much work to get them to separate. I could sure use any advice you have. If the children are not watched closely some items could easily get destroyed. Our kids are also pretty big hoarders (ex. I'll use the counting bears--even if they are not playing with every single one, they feel the need to hold as many as they can in their shirt just so the other person cannot have any to play with).
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Maggie
9/12/2013 12:07:45 pm
Hi Tori,
Something that sometimes worked for me (we all know nothing works all the time, right) was having a "waiting list" for the popular centers. Hang a clipboard near the center, and have kids write their name if they want to play in that center but it is too full right now. If they don't yet write their names legibly, you can affix velcro to the clip board and have little thumbnail pictures of the kids that they can put up to "hold their place in line". Actually seeing "in writing" that their turn is coming may help some of your munchkins to move on and play elsewhere for a while.
If you think the first group will stay in there the whole time, either promise the waiting list first chance at it tomorrow (if you think they can wait that long), or set a timer for one third to one half of your daily center time indicating when the first and/or second group needs to move on. Decide on if you want two or three sessions based on the number of kids on the waiting list.
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Maggie
9/12/2013 12:01:28 pm
Hi. I've been teaching kinder and/or preschool since sometime in the 80's and I've really evolved in how I handle centers. I would strongly encourage the idea of letting kids choose which centers to work at and how long to stay there. Your method of creating limits in the number of kids in a center will work fine as will some of the others mentioned. I used "tickets" which were small cards showing the name and picture of the center strung on a shoestring necklace. Kids chose their tickets and wore them around their neck while playing in a given center.
One suggestion might be to have a fourth center open so that there are more options than kids. That way even the last child to choose has a choice.
I hope you enjoy your year of center exploration.
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Maggie
9/12/2013 12:12:37 pm
Not sure why the multiple postings happened. I hope you can fix it. Sorry.
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Jan
9/12/2013 12:27:28 pm
I would just like to add that rotating and setting a time limit in my opinion does not allow for any special needs, or simply a child that take less or more time. I like to set out invitations to play, or areas that I can watch how they investigate and play with the setting. That is when I observe, and work one on one, and sometimes join in.
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Love Preschool
9/13/2013 09:10:33 am
Hi Jan,
Thanks for sharing! I have had several wonderful children with special needs over the past four years, as well as children who are very detail-oriented and take a long time to complete a task that they love. I have the first hour of school day as Choice Time and the kids can rotate through any of the activities in the entire school. This is all student choice and they can stay there as long as they wish. They also get 40 minutes of free choice time outside after lunch where they can use the variety of outside activities (sand/dirt kitchen, sand boxes, balls, cars, gardening, sensory tables, etc). From what I read from these comments I have had "Centers" in my school all along, just not a structured center routine, which is what I have been working to create this year. As a past elementary school teacher I find it important to give the kids some time that might feel a little bit more like Kindergarten, which is one of my goals for our 30 minute "structured" center time. I am excited to see how it works!
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jan
9/13/2013 11:00:54 am
Sounds to me like youve had centers all along too. Structured in what way? Have you thought about doing an initial color assigment: Two on red chairs (or red table) etc.starting the rotation ...then as the children move through they can mark it off on the chart at the table. Then you would be able to keep track.
Maggie
9/13/2013 12:37:28 pm
Yes, it does sound like you've had centers all along. The structured activity you are wanting to start now sounds more like what I would call "work stations" The work stations may be open ended like blocks or may involve a particular task, but the goal is for the child to stay focused in one area for a predetermined time. One thing I have found helpful in that type of activity, is this: Instead of "announcing" when it is about a minute until time to change, I go to each group and let them know conversationally that the timer will ring soon so please be prepared to move to the next work station.
Marylee
9/12/2013 10:26:02 pm
My question is I have a home daycare and have limited space, about 10 by 20, how do you set up centers in a limited space and have personal things like a sofa, chair and tv stand also. Can some one help me please.
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Love Preschool
9/13/2013 09:09:19 am
Hi Marylee,
I am lucky to have an entire house (it is a tiny small 1930's house) as my school, so I don't have issues with space...but many of my center activities can fit into tubs, baskets or bins. My velcro and label system has really made it so that all of our center stuff can be put away on a shelf (and used for our free choice time by anyone who wants to get it out)...but it doesn't have to take up a lot of space when it isn't in use. On the blog I have a picture of some shelf units with colorful bins and I LOVE those for keeping a variety of activities in a small space!
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Maggie
9/13/2013 12:42:04 pm
Hi Marylee. Wow that is a small space. If you are able to set up a shelving unit at one end and use tubs and bins as suggested that would really help. You might also be able to use storage bins with lids that will stack easily and you can get out the desired ones for each day before children arrive. Use area rugs, or small quilts on the floor to designate boundaries for each center if you don't have table space.
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Carla
9/13/2013 11:32:27 pm
My preschool has centers. Our P4 class has 25 students. That means we have at least 4 teachers in the room at all times. We start the day off with our morning meeting (calendar, leader, weather, etc.) Then we branch off into about 30 minutes of centers. The kids can choose which center to choose from and some are student led while others are with a teacher. The students HAVE to go to math, handwriting, and science once a week. These activities have a teacher guiding through the activity. Than we have one floater teacher supervising and engaging the other activities going on. The "other" popular centers are these: sensory table, easel, building, dramatic play, and the art table. We clean up, sometimes have a special, then do circle time, craft, snack and go outside. Then our day is done!