There were lots of requests to show more of our block center, so this is for you!
This year we’ve got some master builders, so not only did we want to provide them with enough blocks we wanted our block center to be as accessible and conducive to play and pick up as possible. Our blocks were in storage over the summer break, so we started by cleaning and sorting them into like piles.
After we separated our blocks into piles, it was on to figuring out how all of the blocks were going to fit on the two shelves in a way that made sense to the children. We decided what made most sense was sorting the blocks by shape: long rectangles, medium rectangles, squares, triangles, etc. On the shelf next to our squares and rectangles we put our irregular shaped blocks while still keeping alike shapes together: triangles with triangles, circles with circles, and so on.
Once we figured out our orientation of the blocks within both shelves, we began to create a map so our students could see where the blocks belong and put them back on the shelves on their own.
A note on orientation: this may take some time. It’s important to find out how the blocks can fit comfortably on your shelves with room in between. It’ll take some maneuvering before you figure out just how your shelf can hold all your blocks with wiggle room- at least it did for us!
To make the map, I simply taped two pieces of white paper together which fit the depth and length of our shelf perfectly. You may need to get a large piece of paper and fit it to the bottom of your shelf. I would suggest doing that before you trace any of your blocks so you know where to trace them. I then aligned the paper to the edge of the shelf and traced the blocks that corresponded with each stacked pile,
Once your map is traced, you’ll place the map in the bottom of your shelf and tape the edges to secure it. Once secured, stack your blocks where the map indicates!
I hope this helps you set up a block center that is challenging and engaging to your students!
More to grow on:
Why Your Preschoolers Should Play with Blocks!
Available on Amazon
