Developmental Centers

Since I will not have my room set up for a few more weeks, I'm pulling out some old pictures! These pictures are of the developmental centers I had at my old school. I did them all around a community theme. It's like our room was a little city!

Here's a shot of the home center. It's dressed up for the Lunar New Year. Our centers often changed throughout the year. Notice all of the environmental print I have up. Although these centers were fun, fun, fun...I wanted them to be rich in language and vocabulary!

Here I just stuck empty boxes up on the windows.

 

Here are some pictures of common kitchen tools. I taught a large number of ESL students. It is important that they have exposure to English vocabulary whenever possible.

Here is our grocery store. The kids would often make grocery lists, practicing their writing skills.

 

We also had lots of money. Notice that the children would make their own money sometimes.

 

Setting up a table as a restaurant was also a popular choice. The kids would practice writing when they took orders. They also liked to make their own menus.

 

We had to have a bank to get all that money from! This is just a tri-fold science fair board that I covered with paper. I'm still not sure the kids understood that money just doesn't magically appear out of ATM machines!

The vet center was also popular. We kept our doctoring strictly to animals! The labcoats were the smallest scrubs I could find at Walmart--and I think they were pretty cheap!

   Of course, the boys loved the transportation center. Many stories were inspired by their adventures in the transportation center! (Notice how they are using the environmental print in their writing!)
 
 

The construction center was also very popular. You can see more environmental print!

You can get a glimpse of the way we organized the blocks--paper cutouts that showed exactly where each shape of block went. Thank-you to whoever thought of that!

Probably the most beloved center was the fire station. Do you see the cardboard fire? The kids would take that all over the room and set the other centers "on fire" so they could go put the fires out. (Hopefully not a sign of things to come!)

 
 I loved these centers and I loved that room! I am at a new school now, and sadly, developmental centers for kindergartners are not allowed. I honestly don't even know where we would find the time, and my kids get to do plenty of fun things everyday. But I do miss those centers. Although many consider it strictly play, they have been shown time and time again to enrich oral language, develop vocabulary and increase social skills--especially among ESL and low SES students. So I'm not getting rid of my stuff yet--it will sit tucked away, nice and safe until I'm ready to pull it out again.

What about you? Do you have developmental centers in your kindergarten classroom? I'd love to hear about how different principals and districts across the country view them. Leave a comment below and let me know!
 

Comments

[Staci]

Your set up is fabulous! :-)

[Katie Nelson]

I have always used "developmental centers" in my half-day classroom here in Oregon. It has become much challenging, however, to find the time for this since NCLB and district mandates have taken effect. I love involving the students in changing the home living area into a grocery store, post office, vet clinic, restaurant, etc. Don't give it up!

[Andrea Chouhan]

Hello-Thanks for sharing your Center pictures. I am so happy that I came upon them. I have taught Pre-K for 5 yrs and will be teaching Kindergarten this year. I am also writing a book focused on Centers, workstations and my combination of both: learning stations. Would it be ok if I use some of your pictures and site your website in my book? My book started out being just my ideas-but I think it will be even a better resource with lots of ideas. Basically, I have broken up my Centers and Stations into core academica areas and aligned the stations with the curriculum standards. I hope to hear back from you soon!

Best regards,
Andrea Chouhan
Houston, Texas

[MAry Pat]

I love your centers! Can you tell me where you found the pictures of the castle, city etc.? I would love to use them for my block area!
Thanks for sharing your wonderful ideas!!!
MP

[Mary Coyne]

Isn't it sad? I just read your post on this...they took out our "house area" this year and there basically is no time now for anything else. This is the current mindset and the ESL students I teach are starved for play..

[Carrie]

Our province is in the process of moving to a new Kindergarten curriculum that is even more play based...I cannot believe developmental centres are 'not allowed'?!?!?!?! in your classroom. That is atrocious!

[Nike Shox Classic]

I try to read
I go to work
I'm laughing with my friends
But I can't stop to keep myself from thinking.

[A teaching Smith]

Wow! This is my first time on this site and I really love you ideas.

[A teaching Smith]

p.s. the word you should have been your.

[Amblyn]

Hey, I love your center ideas....they look like so much fun for your students. Do you have a copy of what's on the inside of your restaurant menus? I am going to be making my own and was curious what yours looked like. Thanks.

[fran carnes]

This is the first time I had the pleasure of visiting your site, and boy do I feel honored. You are so gracious about sharing. I have taught for 30 years and just finished the last 13 in 3rd grade. We had the opportunity to start up a brand new class for TP (between k and 1). Thank you sooooo much for sharing. I do have time for dramatic play, so if any of your files are available, I'd really appreciate any and all help I can get. I opened and ran a nursury school 20 years ago, so I'm looking forward to going down to TP, but am overwhelmed with just ordering and setting up a blank classroom on a limited budget. I truly appreciate your sharing. My email is fcarnes@hillsborough.k12.nj.us, I am new to all of this blogging generation and do not have a site of my own just yet! Thank you, Fran

[Kristin Whiting]

I think the problem is that, unlike you, many teachers looked upon developmental centers as "play only." Instead, you infuse literacy, oral language, fine motor and more into just the dramatic play center alone. I just got done reading Foutas and Pinnell's new book on PreK and it gives many ideas that you were already doing. Good job! Can't wait to try some of your ideas. BTW: when I love a blog, I tend to be a "comment junkie." Hope that's o.k.

[Kim Smittle]

I made my own ABC box. My theme this year was "Wild About Learning"...so I found some "wild animal paper" for my ABC Box Game. It turned out so cute! My class loves to play it. Thanks for sharing this terrific idea!

[Katie Westacott]

I've been lurking around your site for the past hour or so. First, thank you for the fantastic ideas for problem solving, and I love your developmental centres. I'd say try to incorporate that into the new format as much as you can because they are so beneficial to a child's social development and vocabulary. I teach in Scotland, and I have several children whose first language isn't English. I find the play-based learning (or "active learning" as they like to call it here) is vital to EAL pupils and they really benefit from pretending and imaginative play. This notion has been so successful and has gone so far as being implemented in (the equivalent of) Grade 6 classes!

[Denise]

Love, Love, love the alphabet sorting boxes made from the advent box.

[Jodi Greene]

You're webpage is amazing! How on Earth do you have time to upload and blog so much? I love your ideas and I cannot believe I just found you...thank you Pinterest!

[Suzie Bell]

Have you tried calling your centers "Adventure Centers" and connect it to writing. In our Kindergarten classrooms we have used Adventure Centers to encourage and develop strong writers especially with boys. These are the typical centers but labeled differently... Children plan their adventure with a drawing, discussions, and create a setting and include characters. Children follow up with writing about their experience on paper.

[claudia]

There is no such thing as "just play"! We are trying to incorporate some "choice time" (free play) into 1st through 4th grade at our school. Anyone who watches a child build with blocks, paint, engineer a marble runway, pretend, do a puzzle, and so on KNOWS the kids are developing logical thinking and problem solving skills on top of oral language, social and emotional skills. All of which will be brought to the table when it's time for formal academics. Both have a place. Both are important. Common Core is being interpreted as acceleration in most schools instead of delving deeper - especially in places where kids bombed on state tests. Educators and parents need to push back on Arne Duncan and state commissioners who know nothing about developmentally appropriate practice. Check out Defending the Early Years (deyproject.org) REMEMBER not one k-3 educator contributed to Common Core!

[Pippa Burnett]

Thank you so much for your brilliant ideas. I am a Reception teacher in Manchester England and I have spent the afternoon reading your wonderful blog. I am especially inspired by your step by step Shape, Space and Measures section. I love the way you build up to quite challenging tasks by the end of the topic. I am rethinking how I teach this area of maths. Our curriculum tends to dip in and out of topics one week on weight one on shape then back to number! Never give up on what we call Role Play areas - could you play the game and say they are themed writing areas?
Our government is pressing a more formal teaching curriculum upon us too - as if MPs have a clue about life and needs in an early years classroom. Rant over!!! Thank you so much for your generosity.