Are you clenching your teeth just thinking about center time management? Inhale everything is going to be OK. There are many different ways to mange center time, but today I’m going to only talk about one. Over the years I have tried several different center management systems, and this is the on that just seems to stick. First let me say that I have center time and small group time and they mean two totally different things to me. Our Center Time is a free choice time, how ever I do limit the number of children that can be in one center at a time. Also, I don’t worry myself about making sure every child goes to every center each week. Since it is a free choice center time it doesn’t matter to me that a child visits the same center for days in a row. It tells me that they are investigating and expanding their play daily. The children can choose from 17 learning centers daily and they can spend one hour of uninterrupted play exploring centers of their choice. So how do they flow in and out of these centers? Simple We start by having children pick and plan what they will be doing in an area. This begins with our center sticks. There are only enough sticks for the amount that is allowed in each center. Example 5 children can work in the block center, so there are only 5 block center sticks available for children to choose from. Once children have chosen areas, they are then free to change and move around freely. Children have learned to negotiate where they can work and play by center signs and necklaces. Children are visually able to see how many children can be in any given area and they also know if a center is open to work in by the available necklaces. Frequent Questions How do you figure out how many children can play in each center? I like to place large hula hoops in a center to determine how many children can work there this gives me a visual that allows me to see if children have enough personal space to work and play. Do children clean up before they move to a new area? If a child is working in an area independently then yes, they clean up what they were using. If a child was working with a group of friends to build a structure and they are done playing there and their friends are still working, then we encourage the child that wants to leave to pick up a few items that no one is using any more before they move on. What if you want to use a table for more than one activity? We will place a strip of masking tape down the middle of the table. Children know that items on each side of the tape are intending for different activities. What if a child really wants to work in an area but there are no necklaces left? In our really popular areas like the paint easel we have children sign up on a waiting list. They can then go to a center that is available and we will call them when a child is done. Editable Center Signs You can edit the amount of children that you would like to have in each center.
Center Necklaces Make necklaces to match for each center. This will allow you to identity centers faster as children move freely around the room.
Picking Center Sticks We dismiss our little's after small group so they are at their small group tables. We dismiss children by having them pick the learning center that they would like to work in. As a child picks a center that stick is placed back into the bucket and the children know that center is no longer available.
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Morning Worktime Center Time Small Groups All these time chunks that I talk about in my Instagram stories have caused a lot of questions about what does my daily schedule look like and how do I find the time to get all of it in. First let’s start off by saying that our routine is the same every day, but the time that we do it is flexible based on the needs of my students on any particular day. Morning Worktime or Table Top Activities This is the time of the day as the children arrive. My children come in at random times based on the need of their family. So, with that being said I like to have activities out for the children to do that doesn’t require me to open up my whole classroom since we will only be at this time for a small portion of time. I like these activities to be activities that children can do on their own with little to no help from me. They are usually activities that we have already done before, and this time gives them the opportunity to build on their prior knowledge and extend their own learning through play. Worktime or Center Time Center time is the time of the day that all areas of the classroom are open for children to explore and interact with their friends for long period of time that is uninterrupted. During this time of the day we also set up learning provocations for the children to explore, usually in the area of sensory play, process art, play dough and writing activities. Small Group Activities This time of the day is only for 15 to 20 minutes a day of teacher directed activities based on children learning goals. Tips Still struggling with that perfect schedule?
Sample Daily ScheduleEditable Sample Daily Schedule
These last few weeks have been a little on the CRAZY side. First my computer crashed and it couldn't be fixed. :( So I had to purchase a new computer, which I had to download my back up files to, which took way to long!! Then to TOP IT OFF... My husband landed himself in the hospital for the 3rd time in two years! (can you hear me throwing a fit). I thought after the last hospital visit that our lives would be filled with rainbows and unicorns. When the unexpected happens I'm glad that I have the membership site to have everything planned out in advanced. Boy did it come in VERY helpful these last two weeks. Super Friend Count Find and Write Stamp and Match How Many Super Friends Tall? Peel and Stick Super Friend Shape Match FREE Editable Weekly Lesson Plans
Super Friend Syllable Count How Tall are the Super Friends Super Sound Beginning Sound Sort FREE Editable Weekly Lesson Plan
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Welcome!I'm Tami Sanders creator of Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers, a blog to help teachers create magical moments for the young. Follow MeArchives
May 2024
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