Our new housekeeping center
Every year before the children come back to preschool after winter break, we try to freshen up our classroom with a few updates or changes in classroom setup. When the children returned from break this year, they discovered a new house keeping center.
The space where I could set up my center is not very large and so I had to be very selective in what would go in that space. I wanted the center to be warm and inviting but also include plenty of items that promoted imagination and pretend play.
We are not going to play there!
As soon as the children saw the housekeeping center, one of my little guys exclaimed, “We are not going to play there.” I might have heard his statement incorrectly but I am pretty sure that is what he said. Instead of asking him to repeat what he said, I decided not to give it any attention and just see how it goes.
As soon as it was time for the children to play in centers, guess where my boys headed. Yep, the boys headed straight for the housekeeping center. I think the girls wanted to play there too but decided to wait a bit and let the boys have their turn. Where did most of the girls go? They headed for the block center.
My students never cease to surprise me with the choices they will make each day. I just love it! After a bit, the girls began to trickle into the housekeeping center too.
Most of the morning was spent checking things out. I had expected the children to be more curious about the materials at this stage and less focused on interactive dramatic play. That will come soon enough but for today, the children focused on their exploration.
By day 2 and 3 of our week, the children had settled down into a more constructive type of play in the housekeeping center.
I was worried that my setup would be a bit too small for quality play but it turned out that the smallness wasn’t a problem for the children at all. The children have naturally taken turns spending time in the kitchen and have began settling into their different roles as mom, dad, server, cook, or whatever it is they imagine themselves to be.
Links to Grow On
Check out our pizza box kitchen!
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