early childhood classroom – eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care

August 15, 2019August 15, 2019

The Dramatic Play Center in Child Care

Pretend grocery store

Dramatic Play Supports Children’s Development

Engaging in dramatic play enhances young children’s development. Pretending builds social skills, makes children more aware of their own emotions, and encourages shared language and problem solving. As children play and interact in the dramatic play center in an early childhood program, they practice skills in the following areas:

Social/emotional: negotiating different roles and themes, cooperating to keep the play happening, acting out roles and situations
Physical: using large and small muscles to

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August 15, 2019August 15, 2019

Using Learning Centers in Child Care

Learning centers in an ECE program

Learning centers are a purposeful way of dividing up your classroom into different subject/learning areas. The location of each learning center, placement of any furnishings or equipment, and easily available materials give a clear message to the child about what is to take place in that area.

Planning for Learning Centers

Establishing the centers requires some initial planning, work, and possible expense, but once they are established they save time and money. For example, you don’t want to place the …

August 15, 2019August 15, 2019

Keys to Planning Successful Learning Centers in Child Care

indoor play area

Learning centers can be a great way for early childhood educators to help organize their child care space and help expose children to different educational experiences. Learning centers can help ease transitions between activities for children and can allow children to decide which activities they would like to participate in, giving them more control over their environment and the learning process. Below are some tips to consider if you would like to set up learning centers in your child care …