Those With Centers (Designated Play Areas)

**3kidzmama** · 09-22-2011, 08:33 AM

I only allow 2 children in each center and they are not allowed to to take the toys from one center to the other.

**Cat Herder** · 09-22-2011, 08:34 AM

I just did the same in our group play area and I HATE it so far.

It has added much stress and drama to our day.

I think I am going back to rotating bins if it does not get better in 30 days.

**Auntie** · 09-22-2011, 08:34 AM

Well I assume you are a home provider. I work in a center and I tell the kids that all the toys in each section stay in that section. It works. You have to start out daily to remind them. I used to have them gather together we would go over center rules/stations rules before play time.

I do not limit the number of children in each section unless it gets too be too loud. Eg house area with the kitchen some times we just say 2 or 3 depends on who is in there. Rule is nothing goes on the floor. They know it they abide the rule. There is a table in there for them to use. I may see some things on the floor in that section and give them a gentle reminder they are really good about following the rules in the sections. ON days they are not we just tell them it is closed.

**melskids** · 09-22-2011, 08:42 AM

i'm pretty laid back about it.

if they want to read to their babies, they take them to the book area. if they want to build a castle in the block area, they need princess and dinosaur dress up clothes for sure!

i totally dont mind if they bring stuff into different centers, with the exception that they are doing something constructive with them. (for example: i would'nt let them dump a whole bucket of duplos in the art area for no reason.)

we start out with only a few things in each center, and gradually add more as they are able to handle it. all the bins are label with the word and picture, and we spend ALOT of time at first learning how to clean up. they can completely TRASH the room (working hard though!) and as soon as its time to clean up, they all pitch in and you would never know there were kids in there playing at all!

**kendallina** · 09-22-2011, 09:31 AM

I do the same as MelsKids.

As far as many children in one area, they are usually pretty self-correcting about it. When things get too busy, after a few minutes one or more children will usually find something else to do. I don't step in unless they are being unsafe or getting too crazy. When it does get too crazy, I may just redirect them to another area (like, "I was thinking we could get the glue out... or something) or ask one of them to help me with something I was doing.

Also, I can't imagine not allowing them to take the babies to the book area to read to them or not allowing the food to go to the block area and build a table for it. So, our toys can go anywhere, with some rules. Glue, crayons and scissors have to stay in the art area at the table. And I don't allow dumping or anything. I've found by significantly reducing the amount of toys I have out at one time (and just rotating), the mess isn't too much. We have about 45 minutes- one hour of free play at a time, no more. If we had free play for longer I could see where clean up would be more of an issue.

**snbauser** · 09-22-2011, 10:15 AM

Depends on the center and depends on what they are doing with the items. For example, we have had to limit where they can play with the cars and trucks because they would take them over to the hard wood area and run across the floor pushing the car and sliding in their socks. Although it was fun, it wasn't safe. But they like taking the animals over to the duplos or magnetic blocks and building castles or zoos or whatever and that is fine.
As far as the number of kids it depends. Most centers I don't limit but they are self limiting in that there is only so much room and so many items in a center to play with. We do have one center - our puppet center - that is limited to no more than 2 kids because it is small and supposed to be a quieter area. It gets too wild if we allow more than 2 in there at a time.

**daycare** · 09-22-2011, 10:32 AM

I am an at home, but have centers or stations..

I open certain stations at a time and allow no more than 2 kids (3 kids will argue more). The children have to ask permission to use a station. Lets say they were at the playdough center and wanted to go to the blocks. I will go and check to make sure the block center is cleaned up the right way and then will say ok, you may go to that station. If it's not cleaned up the right way then they can't go. They are allowed to mix things as long as they put them back. I actually teach them to do this with this fun activity.

so this week was the letter B.

we made a shopping list of things that start with the letter B, then we go around the DCR and collect those things that start with the letter B. we then take them back to the circle time mat and share with everyone what we found. I then have the kids go put back all of the things in the right place where they got it from. It took some time for them to get to learn this, but now they all know what goes where...

hope i was somewhat helpful

**Sugar Magnolia** · 09-22-2011, 10:54 AM

Originally posted by WImom

what are your rules? Do you let them take toys from one center to another? do you allow only a certain amount of kids in a center at time? etc..

Just redid my space to have centers and just wondering what most of you do?

I have a few rules about centers, but not too many. Yes they can take stuff wherever they want, but they HAVE to put things back when they're done. I do limit the # of kids. Two can play kitchen, two can play store/housekeeping, three can play dress up, 2 can play workbench, 3 or 4 can play block center at once, 4 can do manipulatives at once, up to 5 can do art at a time, but the messy stuff like paint and glue are NOT accesible all the time, just crayons and markers and coloring pages available at all times. I don't "dictate" who goes to what centers, they have free choice during free play time. I don't allow crowding though. I have only had one serious issue with centers and that was with dress up clothes. Boy X wanted to wear a certain pink dress all day every day, so we had some temporary restrictions on that, if you wanted to play dress up, you had to stay in that area, NOT walk around the school all day in dress up clothes. That issue has since been resolved and we now allow dress up clothes to leave the center again, just put them back if you want to play something else.

**Cat Herder** · 09-22-2011, 11:25 AM

Are "centers" working well for anyone with only two and unders? Am I "doing it wrong"?

I think having everything out, accessible and eye level is overwhelming them.

They just wander, dump, destroy and sulk now (1st full week, so it is a new thing).

Granted "Home Living" seems to be a new potty mecca for some reason (they hide in the playhouse kitchen to void

). :confused: If only they went so easily on the POTTY in the restroom.

Before, I did theme bins for free play periods....I LIKED my way

. 9-10 all "toys with a face" out, 10-11 all "things stackable/buildable", 11-12 "all things outdoors", 3-4 "all things with wheels"...etc.

It worked better, IMHO. The kids were creative, motivated, could spread out across the room, picked up happily and were excited to see what was next.

I could easily dump the the toys in the tub for soaking/disinfection, after I put the next bin out, to be dry and back out the next day. It worked like a charm!!! Now I have to do it all at the end of the day from 5-6

to be able to eat dinner with my family.

I am going to keep trying for a bit longer, but.....

I am tired at the end of the day. That has not happened in years. Why are centers "preferred" by ratings groups? :confused: Will it cost me points if I discontinue it?

**WImom** · 09-22-2011, 12:49 PM

Thanks! I will be reading these all and coming up with a 3-4 rules for them to follow. It just seems more messy and more fighting since I did the centers and I thought it was going to help that.

I think I'm also going to thin out the toys a little more and see if that helps.

**daycare** · 09-22-2011, 01:29 PM

Originally posted by Catherder