"Play is the work of children" - J. Piaget
To better understand the work your child is accomplishing through play, here is a list of the purpose behind each of the centres in our kindergarten classroom (Taken from Thinking it Through: Teaching and Learning in the Kindergarten Classroom: Learning in Centres [ETFO]):
Painting Centre
· Stimulates creativity and self-expression.
· Express thoughts, feelings, and represent their ideas.
· Develop hand-eye coordination and fine-motor skills.
· Express responses to art.
· Explore processes and apply techniques (ex. overlap, pattern, background, centre of focus, proportion).
· Develop problem-solving skills.
· Experiment with colour, shape, form, use of space, composition, line, balance, and texture.
· Begin to see themselves as artists.
Arts & Crafts Centre
· Stimulate imagination and creativity.
· Express thoughts and feelings and represent their theories/ideas through using different materials.
· Develop fine motor skills using scissors, glue, crayons and markers, etc.
· Use vocabulary and express responses to art.
· Plan, organize, and solve problems.
· Develop mathematical concepts (space, pattern and design, sorting, etc.) and work with three-dimensional materials.
· Explore processes and apply techniques.
· Share materials and ideas with others and express responses to art.
· Develop a sense of pride in own achievements.
Play Dough Centre
· Develop strength in fingers, hands, upper arms.
· Develop eye-hand coordination.
· Represent their theories/ideas in three-dimensional form.
· Use oral language (describe, explain, compare).
· Experiment with shape, form, balance, detail and texture.
· Use social skills as they work with others.
· Explore processes and apply techniques.
Music
· Facilitate experiences in exploring and making music and sound.
· Foster awareness of rhythm, beat, and sound patterns.
· Encourage spontaneous singing, chanting, movement, and playing.
· Facilitate recall and use of poems and songs taught.
· Encourage planning and cooperation with others.
· Provide opportunities for presentations.
Blocks
· Experiment with building a variety of structures.
· Explore scientific concepts (balance, simple machines, structures, design process, etc.).
· Explore mathematical concepts (counting, comparing and estimating, measuring space, distance, area, mass, size and height, sorting, classifying, seriating, etc.).
· Develop gross and fine motor control.
· Extend imaginative role-play, and both oral and written language.
· Develop spatial concepts and perceptual skills.
· Foster cooperative play – organizing, planning, and problem solving with others.
Computers & Technology
· Develop confidence and skill in using the technology independently.
· Build thinking skills.
· Apply and consolidate learning in mathematics and literacy.
· Develop creativity in using the computer as a tool of recording and expression.
· Work cooperatively with others on joint projects or partner games.
Dramatic Play
· Develop confidence and skill in using the technology independently.
· Build thinking skills.
· Apply and consolidate learning in mathematics and literacy.
· Develop creativity in using the computer as a tool of recording and expression.
· Work cooperatively with others on joint projects or partner games.
Alphabet Centre
· Learn and apply knowledge of alphabet names and letter sounds.
· Foster recognition of simple, familiar words.
· Explore letters and words (reproduce, change, and notice similarities and differences in a concrete way).
Listening Centre
· Provide experience with a wide variety of musical and literacy genres.
· Extend and enrich oral language.
· Encourage listening with discrimination.
· Extend comprehension of books through repeated readings.
· Apply reading strategies while reading along with text.
· Provide exposure to fluent reading models.
· Develop confidence in the use of technological tools.
Math Centre
· Engage in the mathematical processes, (problem- solving, reasoning and proving, reflecting, selecting tools and strategies, connecting, representing, and communicating).
· Foster an inquiry approach to mathematics as children explore materials and ideas.
· Understand relationships between mathematical concepts (ex. composing and decomposing numbers, shapes, patterns).
· Engage in different experiences – observing, estimating, counting, matching, sorting and classifying, seriating (ordering), comparing, measuring, estimating, conserving, grouping, computing, patterning, graphing, and predicting.
· Encourage cooperative play and learning.
· Develop confidence as they explore mathematics.
· Construct mathematics knowledge through own experiences
Reading Centre
· Foster a love of books and reading with a wide variety of print material.
· Develop knowledge of books and concepts about print.
· Extend background information.
· Extend oral language as children share and interact with others and retell stories.
· Revisit favourite texts.
· Apply and practice reading strategies.
Sand Table
· Foster sensory exploration.
· Explore the properties of sand (wet/dry).
· Expand vocabulary and use language for different purposes.
· Improve small muscle control and hand-eye coordination.
· Develop mathematical concepts (estimate, measure, compare).
· Engage in inquiry (observe, predict, draw conclusions, explore cause and effect).
· Plan, organize, and cooperate with others.
· Develop problem –solving and negotiating skills.
· Represent structures, maps, and familiar places.
Science Centre
· Foster curiosity, interest, and a sense of wonder.
· Encourage inquiry and discovery through manipulation.
· Learn about the characteristics of living and non-living things.
· Encourage the development of inquiry skills, (observation, questioning, comparing, predicting, making connections, and problem-solving).
· Represent and communicate their theories and learning in various ways, (designing, building, writing, drawing/painting).
· Learn respect and care for the natural world.
· Develop confidence as they see themselves as ‘scientists’.
· Develop vocabulary and use oral and written language for different purposes.
Water Table
· Foster sensory exploration.
· Explore properties of water.
· Expand vocabulary and use language for different purposes.
· Improve hand-eye coordination and small muscle control.
· Develop mathematical concepts, (estimate, measure, count, compare).
· Develop inquiry skills, (predict, observe, hypothesize results).
· Engage in dramatic play.
· Plan, organize, cooperate with others.
· Develop problem solving and negotiating skills.
Writing Centre
· Communicate ideas through writing and drawing.
· Foster fine motor development.
· Apply strategies for writing appropriate to their stage of development.
· Develop an understanding of print concepts.
· Write for a variety of purposes.
· Develop confidence and personal satisfaction in themselves as writers.
· Use resources to support their writing.
To better understand the work your child is accomplishing through play, here is a list of the purpose behind each of the centres in our kindergarten classroom (Taken from Thinking it Through: Teaching and Learning in the Kindergarten Classroom: Learning in Centres [ETFO]):
Painting Centre
· Stimulates creativity and self-expression.
· Express thoughts, feelings, and represent their ideas.
· Develop hand-eye coordination and fine-motor skills.
· Express responses to art.
· Explore processes and apply techniques (ex. overlap, pattern, background, centre of focus, proportion).
· Develop problem-solving skills.
· Experiment with colour, shape, form, use of space, composition, line, balance, and texture.
· Begin to see themselves as artists.
Arts & Crafts Centre
· Stimulate imagination and creativity.
· Express thoughts and feelings and represent their theories/ideas through using different materials.
· Develop fine motor skills using scissors, glue, crayons and markers, etc.
· Use vocabulary and express responses to art.
· Plan, organize, and solve problems.
· Develop mathematical concepts (space, pattern and design, sorting, etc.) and work with three-dimensional materials.
· Explore processes and apply techniques.
· Share materials and ideas with others and express responses to art.
· Develop a sense of pride in own achievements.
Play Dough Centre
· Develop strength in fingers, hands, upper arms.
· Develop eye-hand coordination.
· Represent their theories/ideas in three-dimensional form.
· Use oral language (describe, explain, compare).
· Experiment with shape, form, balance, detail and texture.
· Use social skills as they work with others.
· Explore processes and apply techniques.
Music
· Facilitate experiences in exploring and making music and sound.
· Foster awareness of rhythm, beat, and sound patterns.
· Encourage spontaneous singing, chanting, movement, and playing.
· Facilitate recall and use of poems and songs taught.
· Encourage planning and cooperation with others.
· Provide opportunities for presentations.
Blocks
· Experiment with building a variety of structures.
· Explore scientific concepts (balance, simple machines, structures, design process, etc.).
· Explore mathematical concepts (counting, comparing and estimating, measuring space, distance, area, mass, size and height, sorting, classifying, seriating, etc.).
· Develop gross and fine motor control.
· Extend imaginative role-play, and both oral and written language.
· Develop spatial concepts and perceptual skills.
· Foster cooperative play – organizing, planning, and problem solving with others.
Computers & Technology
· Develop confidence and skill in using the technology independently.
· Build thinking skills.
· Apply and consolidate learning in mathematics and literacy.
· Develop creativity in using the computer as a tool of recording and expression.
· Work cooperatively with others on joint projects or partner games.
Dramatic Play
· Develop confidence and skill in using the technology independently.
· Build thinking skills.
· Apply and consolidate learning in mathematics and literacy.
· Develop creativity in using the computer as a tool of recording and expression.
· Work cooperatively with others on joint projects or partner games.
Alphabet Centre
· Learn and apply knowledge of alphabet names and letter sounds.
· Foster recognition of simple, familiar words.
· Explore letters and words (reproduce, change, and notice similarities and differences in a concrete way).
Listening Centre
· Provide experience with a wide variety of musical and literacy genres.
· Extend and enrich oral language.
· Encourage listening with discrimination.
· Extend comprehension of books through repeated readings.
· Apply reading strategies while reading along with text.
· Provide exposure to fluent reading models.
· Develop confidence in the use of technological tools.
Math Centre
· Engage in the mathematical processes, (problem- solving, reasoning and proving, reflecting, selecting tools and strategies, connecting, representing, and communicating).
· Foster an inquiry approach to mathematics as children explore materials and ideas.
· Understand relationships between mathematical concepts (ex. composing and decomposing numbers, shapes, patterns).
· Engage in different experiences – observing, estimating, counting, matching, sorting and classifying, seriating (ordering), comparing, measuring, estimating, conserving, grouping, computing, patterning, graphing, and predicting.
· Encourage cooperative play and learning.
· Develop confidence as they explore mathematics.
· Construct mathematics knowledge through own experiences
Reading Centre
· Foster a love of books and reading with a wide variety of print material.
· Develop knowledge of books and concepts about print.
· Extend background information.
· Extend oral language as children share and interact with others and retell stories.
· Revisit favourite texts.
· Apply and practice reading strategies.
Sand Table
· Foster sensory exploration.
· Explore the properties of sand (wet/dry).
· Expand vocabulary and use language for different purposes.
· Improve small muscle control and hand-eye coordination.
· Develop mathematical concepts (estimate, measure, compare).
· Engage in inquiry (observe, predict, draw conclusions, explore cause and effect).
· Plan, organize, and cooperate with others.
· Develop problem –solving and negotiating skills.
· Represent structures, maps, and familiar places.
Science Centre
· Foster curiosity, interest, and a sense of wonder.
· Encourage inquiry and discovery through manipulation.
· Learn about the characteristics of living and non-living things.
· Encourage the development of inquiry skills, (observation, questioning, comparing, predicting, making connections, and problem-solving).
· Represent and communicate their theories and learning in various ways, (designing, building, writing, drawing/painting).
· Learn respect and care for the natural world.
· Develop confidence as they see themselves as ‘scientists’.
· Develop vocabulary and use oral and written language for different purposes.
Water Table
· Foster sensory exploration.
· Explore properties of water.
· Expand vocabulary and use language for different purposes.
· Improve hand-eye coordination and small muscle control.
· Develop mathematical concepts, (estimate, measure, count, compare).
· Develop inquiry skills, (predict, observe, hypothesize results).
· Engage in dramatic play.
· Plan, organize, cooperate with others.
· Develop problem solving and negotiating skills.
Writing Centre
· Communicate ideas through writing and drawing.
· Foster fine motor development.
· Apply strategies for writing appropriate to their stage of development.
· Develop an understanding of print concepts.
· Write for a variety of purposes.
· Develop confidence and personal satisfaction in themselves as writers.
· Use resources to support their writing.