Preschool programs are a critical component of any early learning center, and your decision to welcome preschoolers to your child care center opens up new opportunities to make a difference in the life of each child who enters your building. While everyone's excited about the latest expansion, you also know that there is serious planning to be done regarding the best way to set up the ideal learning environment. As you prepare each preschool room, use these tips to enhance learning through the strategic use of classroom furniture.
Increase Safety in the Classroom
Young children tend to arrive at their child care program with tons of energy to burn. While your staff likely loves helping kids burn off their energy through music and movement activities in the morning, the last thing you want is for the kids to run in the classroom. As you move in shelves and tables, be careful to avoid leaving large open spaces that encourage running. Instead, create learning centers in the middle of the room and along the edges so that there are defined walking spaces that limit children from picking up too much speed.
Create Quiet and Noisy Zones
In an active classroom that promotes self-choice, your staff members should always be aware that each child has preferences regarding their best ways to learn. For instance, one child may prefer to learn the alphabet by quietly putting together a letter puzzle while another likes tossing alphabet bean bags back and forth with their teacher. Use shelves to define each learning center and consider placing quiet activities on separate sides of the room from those that tend to generate noise.
Encourage Self-Help Skills
Preschoolers love to do things independently, yet they still need support to accomplish activities such as putting their things away. Make sure to choose child-size furniture for the classroom that makes it easy for children to reach the hook or shelf in their cubby or to help set the table up for lunch. With the appropriate chairs, tables, and shelves, each child is able to feel successful as they take on new responsibilities such as cleaning up after they use a learning material.
The furniture that you put into your preschool classroom serves as a foundation upon which the members of your staff can begin to build a safe and enjoyable learning environment. By knowing how to select the right types of furniture and plan for their placement, you can make sure that each new classroom highlights the best practices in early childhood classroom design. For more information, contact companies like School Supply Specialty.