Centers are such an important part of an early childhood classroom. By allowing youngsters to discover, explore, and create with classmates, little ones develop social skills that will contribute to their success throughout school and into adulthood. Centertime is a wonderful time to work on academic skills as well as interpersonal skills.
But occasionally, centers can get a bit stale! You know it happens. To increase student interest, try these interesting center add-ons:
Play Dough Center
- potato mashers
- cupcake liners
- milk jug caps
- plastic leaves
- craft sticks
- chenille stems
- pots and pans
- marker caps
- drinking straws
Fine-Motor Area
Place tongs or tweezers at the center along with empty containers and one (or two) of the following items:
- colorful pom-poms
- dyed pasta
- linking cubes
- plastic animals
- plastic egg halves
- cardboard tubes cut into rings
- plastic utensils
- paper shreds
- puzzle pieces
- sponges cut into pieces
Block Center
Rotate these seasonal items in your center to add to little ones’ building experiences.
- September: plastic apples
- October: pictures of jack-o’-lanterns and black craft foam shapes
- November: gourds
- December: green and red ribbon and scissors
- January: cotton batting
- February: craft foam hearts
- March: green pom-poms and large play coins
- April: plastic eggs
- May: plastic insects
- June: plastic picnic cups and plates
