Learning Centers: What are they and how do I set them up at home?
Learning centers are designated spaces within an early childhood classroom that enable children to self-direct their learning and interact with play partners. Learning centers are critical in developing children’s fine and gross motor skills, social-emotional skills, cognitive skills, literacy skills, numeracy skills, and communication and language skills, all while engaging in purposeful play. Learning centers are an essential part of a high-quality early childhood learning environment and are incredibly beneficial for little ones, so you might be wondering, “How do I set up learning centers at home? Is this possible?” The answer is YES, it is possible and, with some suggestions, very feasible!
Another benefit of center time is that it helps children learn how to engage in sustained play for increased periods of time. Engaging in sustained, purposeful play is an incredibly important skill for toddlers, and one that takes time to learn. When setting up learning centers at home, you’ll want to teach your child to spend a specific amount of time in one center before moving to the next one. Start out small – begin with three minutes in each center and slowly increase the time until you’ve reached ten to fifteen minutes per center. To help your child achieve this, consider buying a large visual timer and setting it so that they aren’t surprised when it’s time to transition – my favorite timer is linked here.
There are typically six to seven learning centers in an early childhood setting and can be a combination of any of following: math and manipulatives, building/blocks, dramatic play, art, literacy, science/sensory, and music and movement. To help you set up centers at home, I will highlight each center and give examples of some items you may want to consider putting in each center. Remember that you do NOT have to set up all of these centers at once – you can set up three or four at a time (or whatever is manageable!) and change them out every couple of weeks.
Math and Manipulatives
A quality math and manipulatives center focuses on numeracy skills and fine motor skills. Some useful items for this center may include objects for sorting, simple games such as memory games or simple board games, peg boards, rubber band boards, small items to count, small numbered blocks, puzzles, lacing and tracing sets, and sequencing sets. A math and manipulatives center is a space for children to learn how to problem solve and to be exposed to early math concepts through play.
Building/Blocks
Building and blocks centers are a space for, you guessed it, building and creating! They’re a space where children can create structures, engage in pretend play with toy people and animals, and work on their fine motor and problem-solving skills. Some useful items for this center may include large wooden blocks, Magnatiles, Lego and Duplo blocks, bristle blocks, people and animals, and vehicles.
Dramatic Play
Dramatic play centers are my absolute favorite learning center! Dramatic play centers are a space for children to engage in pretend play, re-enact every day adult tasks, engage in self-expression, and explore a variety of materials. Some useful items for this center may include a play kitchen with play food, utensils, etc., pretend household items such as a toy vacuum, broom, duster, etc., dress-up clothes, dolls, doll clothes and accessories, puppets, etc., and pretend store items such as a shopping cart or a cash register.
Art/Creativity
Art centers are a space for children to explore their creativity, engage in self-expression, work on fine motor skills, and learn how to use a variety of classroom materials. Some useful items for an art center may include an easel, a small table and chairs, crayons, markers, age appropriate scissors, glue, stickers, stamps, paint, age appropriate paint brushes (thick and short is best for toddlers), beads, glitter (if you dare!), etc.
Literacy
Early literacy is such an important concept for toddlers, and a literacy center is a wonderful way to encourage your child’s literacy development. A literacy center is a space for children to work on pre-reading and pre-writing skills. Some useful items for a literacy center would include plenty of age appropriate books, pencils and paper for “writing books” (what this looks like for toddlers is scribbling/drawing a story, and then retelling that story to you – this develops their creative thinking and pre-literacy skills!), and pictures of relevant items for inspiration (for example, during the summer you may want to have pictures of the beach, pool, sun, sand toys, etc.).
Science/Sensory
A science/sensory center is a space for children to explore various age appropriate scientific and sensory concepts. This center is incredibly fascinating for toddlers, and there are endless possibilities for what you can put in it! Some useful suggestions include natural items (ex. rocks, leaves, sticks, etc.), magnifying glasses, pipettes and small dishes, magnets, a light table, and a sensory table. Sensory tables are amazing for toddlers – there are literally hundreds of items that you can put in them! Some fun examples are sand and scooping toys, water and pouring toys, dried rice, beans, or kernels, seeds, and water beads.
Music and Movement
It should come as no surprise to parents that toddlers absolutely love music and movement activities, so this center is always a big hit! A music and movement center is a place for children to explore instruments, songs, dance, and gross motor skills. Some useful items to include in a music and movement center would be instruments (such as a xylophone, age appropriate drums, symbols, hand bells, etc.), a music player, and pictures of gross motor movements such as clapping, stomping, and twisting.
Now that you’ve had a brief introduction to early childhood learning centers, I hope you feel more confident in setting up learning centers at home. The most important thing to remember is that there really is no big secret when it comes to setting up learning centers – as long as you provide useful, age-appropriate materials for your child and do your best to encourage them to engage in sustained play, you’re on the right track. Have fun!
