Preschool Learning Centers

Early childhood is a time full of curiosity, exploration, creativity, excitement, and rapid development. During these formative years, children develop attitudes about education that remain with them for the rest of their lives (Kostelnik, Soderman, & Whiren, 2011). High quality early childhood education programs and highly effective, passionate teachers or care providers will not only promote young children’s development and academic achievement but will also foster a lifelong passion for learning. ECE programs and educators utilize learning centers to contribute to young children’s acquisition of literacy, numeracy, creative thinking, problem solving, and motor skills as well as a number of other skills and knowledge (Jarrett, 2010). The benefits of learning centers are many. Learning centers teach important concepts, build interest, integrate subject matter, and allow for inquiry (Jarrett, 2010). These well organized and defined interest areas provide children with choices, hands-on learning, meaningful progression of skill acquisition, self-direction, and the ability to make connections (Kostelnik et al., 2011).

Essential Learning Centers for Four Year Olds

Working as a preschool teacher of four year olds, I would most want to have a language arts center, math center, multisensory center, and a dramatic play center in my classroom. These four centers will foster essential skills in language, math, movement, sensory processing and integration, problem solving, creative thinking, and social interaction. Such skills will be essential not only in early education, but throughout each child’s entire education and life. Language skills are emerging and progressing at differing rates for students at this age. Well-develop...

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