What is a Center?
A Center can mean different things to different people/teachers. Ideally a center is an area of the classroom where a variety of hands-on materials and meaningful activities are available for children to choose from. Classroom space is often at a premium, so you can use a desktop, a tub, or even a sack of materials.
Remember: A center should provide opportunities for children to be actively involved in learning and making choices in a variety of ways.
Why use Centers?
Centers give teachers more time to interact with students.
They allow students the opportunity to learn through their individual learning style.
Allows for flexible grouping and varied activities
Centers encourage positive behavior because children are actively involved and engaged.
Centers build self-concept as students experience success.
Centers give students the opportunity to:
Explore, discover, create, practice and apply skills, problem solve and use critical thinking skills, become independent learners, and collaborate with classmates!
How do I plan for centers in my classroom?
Centers do take time to plan and incorporate into a classroom environment. They take classroom routines and procedures and a lot of modeling from the teacher. These are things to think about:
Why am I using centers?
What are my goals and objectives for centers?
Are centers for enrichment, free time, or a part of my whole program?
How will I schedule centers into the day?
How many centers do I want or have space for?
How many children should be at one center?
How do I want to structure my centers?
What kinds of Centers Should I have?
There are several types of centers (look at the center page for a list of types of centers)
Centers can be curriculum-oriented, such as math, science, or writing. This will help you enrich your program. You can also have centers such as the library and writing centers that will allow students to practice and apply skills.
You may also want to use the thematic approach, which are theme related activities for your curriculum centers.
How do I give Children Choices in the Center? What kinds of activities should I have?
Children choose from a range of activities and centers.
Center activities should be meaningful, not busy work.
Centers should be Developmentally Appropriate for the age of students you have.
Centers should be multi-level and reflect the wide range of needs and abilities in your room.
Center activities should be hands-on, providing the learner with opportunities for active involvement.
Centers and the way you use them is up to you as the individual teacher. You know your students better than anyone. If I can give you any advice, it is to make sure you open once center at a time, and let students work and play at it and then open another. YOU as the teacher MUST model how to play in the center. Students many times do not understand what to do at the center. Show them the materials at the center, what you do with the materials and remember to NOT put out to many supplies at once--this becomes overwhelming! Make sure students clean up EVERYTHING before they move to a new center. It is their responsibility to keep the room clean.
There are MANY centers that are not yet on this page: Computers, Sensory, Sand and Water and many, many more!
A Center can mean different things to different people/teachers. Ideally a center is an area of the classroom where a variety of hands-on materials and meaningful activities are available for children to choose from. Classroom space is often at a premium, so you can use a desktop, a tub, or even a sack of materials.
Remember: A center should provide opportunities for children to be actively involved in learning and making choices in a variety of ways.
Why use Centers?
Centers give teachers more time to interact with students.
They allow students the opportunity to learn through their individual learning style.
Allows for flexible grouping and varied activities
Centers encourage positive behavior because children are actively involved and engaged.
Centers build self-concept as students experience success.
Centers give students the opportunity to:
Explore, discover, create, practice and apply skills, problem solve and use critical thinking skills, become independent learners, and collaborate with classmates!
How do I plan for centers in my classroom?
Centers do take time to plan and incorporate into a classroom environment. They take classroom routines and procedures and a lot of modeling from the teacher. These are things to think about:
Why am I using centers?
What are my goals and objectives for centers?
Are centers for enrichment, free time, or a part of my whole program?
How will I schedule centers into the day?
How many centers do I want or have space for?
How many children should be at one center?
How do I want to structure my centers?
What kinds of Centers Should I have?
There are several types of centers (look at the center page for a list of types of centers)
Centers can be curriculum-oriented, such as math, science, or writing. This will help you enrich your program. You can also have centers such as the library and writing centers that will allow students to practice and apply skills.
You may also want to use the thematic approach, which are theme related activities for your curriculum centers.
How do I give Children Choices in the Center? What kinds of activities should I have?
Children choose from a range of activities and centers.
Center activities should be meaningful, not busy work.
Centers should be Developmentally Appropriate for the age of students you have.
Centers should be multi-level and reflect the wide range of needs and abilities in your room.
Center activities should be hands-on, providing the learner with opportunities for active involvement.
Centers and the way you use them is up to you as the individual teacher. You know your students better than anyone. If I can give you any advice, it is to make sure you open once center at a time, and let students work and play at it and then open another. YOU as the teacher MUST model how to play in the center. Students many times do not understand what to do at the center. Show them the materials at the center, what you do with the materials and remember to NOT put out to many supplies at once--this becomes overwhelming! Make sure students clean up EVERYTHING before they move to a new center. It is their responsibility to keep the room clean.
There are MANY centers that are not yet on this page: Computers, Sensory, Sand and Water and many, many more!