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Helpful Hints: Creating Interest Areas
Setting up interest areas with in the classroom is important for
the making of a classroom that promotes the growth and development for a child.
Here are areas that are typically in an early childhood classroom:
• Blocks (unit blocks, people and transportation)
• Dramatic Play (kitchen set, dress-up clothes & dolls)
• Fine Motor or Manipulative (tables, puzzles, pegs & beads)
• Art (easels, paint, crayons & paper)
• Sand & Water (sand and water table, funnels, measuring cups & sponges)
• Library (book display, books & soft cushions)
• Music and Movement (dance/prop storage, musical instruments/players)
• Storage for Personal Belongings (lockers, storage bins, etc.)
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Using your Experiences to Guide your Classroom
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When establishing your classroom the best thing to do is to go with your gut instinct
and rely on your previous experiences in the classroom to guide you.
Knowledge of what works and what does not work in the classroom is half the battle.
It is easy to take the advice of "experts", but without the knowledge of classroom life the advice can be for not.
The following are things to consider when setting up your room:
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Ensure that you have the needed interest areas within your classroom:
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INTEREST AREAS
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MATERIALS
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BENEFIT TO THE AREA
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Fine Motor
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Puzzles, Lego blocks, lacing cards,
sorting beads, books on counting and science
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Helps to develop a child's fine motor skills (working with their fingers).
The materials, such as, the sorting beads can help with the
children's cognitive abilities (logic, math, reasoning, etc.).
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Reading Area
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Books, tapes or CDs, earphone,
puppet theaters, puppets, soft chairs, displays
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Helps to develop the reading and writing skills,
as well as, social development.
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Imaginative Play
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Kitchen set, dolls, play food, dishware,
dress-up clothes, mirror, books on families.
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This area helps to gives a child the opportunity to develop
their social skills. Social development lays the foundation
of the educational experience. Without building social skills,
a child's learning process can be stagnated.
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Blocks
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Unit blocks, second type of block, play animals,
people & transportation, books on construction and math.
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The unit blocks help to promote math skills
through adding, subtracting and fractions.
In addition, inter-relations are refined and the
development of image built through construction.
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Art
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Crayons, markers, paint, paper, clay,
glue, collage materials, easels and books on art.
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Incorporating art in a classroom allows children
to communicate what they may not be able to say in words.
They also learn cause and effect through the various
mediums that are used in the area.
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Provide music & movement, sand & water and science & nature at least once a week, if not daily.
Move the shelving off the walls and use them to section off the different interest areas.
Using the shelving as mini-walls helps to create a traffic flow in the classroom,
it also, prevents the interruption of activities from one interest area to another.
Always remember that the classroom belongs to the children.
Through their behavior children will let you know what is working in the classroom.
When designing the room take into consideration children will be utilizing it.
A child that is given the opportunity to have more of an active roll in their environments
are more likely to show their appreciation through their attitude.
The aforementioned are professional opinions. All of these are the sole property of WDM, Inc.
Any use of the contents, above statements, or ideas requires the written permission of WDM, Inc. Violators will be prosecuted.
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Helpful Hint of the Month...
Tip-Me-Not™ Classic Appliances give the much need storage space
to place labeled storage containers for dramatic play props such as;
plates, multicultural food & cookware.
Our 3-N-1 Kitchen Center™ (WD10600) is a great way
to incorporate the dramatic play area in a small space such as
the space you might find in a family child care home.
See also: Tip-Me-Not™ product line
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WD10600
3-N-1 Kitchen Center
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Check us out in this article on the web...
The Ultimate Early Ed Blueprint
Creating an ideal early childhood education space in your school district is a no-brainer,
once you understand how to see and think like a tot.
By Julie Sturgeon, DistrictAdministration.com, May 2004
http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=734
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Teacher Resources: Helpful Hints Archive
Our past Helpful Hints articles, organized & archived
for your convenience in setting-up your own classroom.
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Enhance interest areas by providing enough shelving & storage bins
for the amount of materials provided in the classroom.
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