We start our day with free choice centers! Though it may look like we are just playing--we are learning and developing new skills. But its so fun--we don't even notice. These centers change each week. Our friends are excited each Tuesday morning to see what they will get to "play" with that week!
The dramatic play dollhouse is where we have fun role-playing, using our imaginations, working together, and most importantly learning to share! Dollhouses are not just for girls-- we all play together. Miss Megan enjoys hearing all the kids talking like moms and dads while they play--definitely skills they will use in the future.
Even though most of us don't know all of our letters yet, sometimes we play letter games to help us with pre-literacy skills. Matching these magnet letters with the letters on the magnetic cards helps us to learn to recognize letters and is an important pre-reading skill. Plus we develop our coordination and small muscle development as we sort through magnets looking for just the right one.
Did I mention it was fun, too?
Unifix cubes require kids to practice their coordination to snap them together. They also provide preschool kids with opportunities to measure things using non-standard units of measurement. We try to put them together to cover the whole distance of the room or to see if we can make one as tall as a friend. We also can practice color recognition and in the next few months--pattern making!
How many cubes does it take to cover your elbow?
Which of your towers is the longest?
These are only a few of the centers we have loved so far this year.
Ask your child about their favorite learning center!
