Kindergarten children spend time each day involved in center activities. During this time, teachers can work with smaller groups of children to provide individual attention to different learning styles. Are these children just playing in centers or are they developing valuable skills during this time? Read the following list to see just how much your child will accomplish by being involved in these traditional centers this year. Notice that most centers include an opportunity to develop social skills which is a key skill for kindergarten children. Activities and centers will change throughout the school year based on units of study.

Art

develop social skills

increase fine motor development

test creative choices

increase hand eye coordination

Housekeeping

develop social skills

gain problem solving skills

begin roll playing

build imagination

Playdough

develop social skills

increase fine motor development

increase imagination

experiment with different tools

enjoy tactile activities

Blocks

develop social skills

compare sizes, shapes and relationships

increase fine motor development

build structures

experience discovery learning

use problem solving

build imagination

Computers

increase fine motor development

"read" words

recognize letters

acquire literacy skills from a different perspective

Listening

"read" books

increase pre-reading skills

recognize letters and words

develop a love for books and reading

enjoy read along books

learn a variety of authors

Manipulatives

develop social skills

use problem solving

increase fine motor development

increase hand eye coordination

Books

develop social skills

develop a love for books and reading

learn a variety of authors

practice literacy skills

"read" books

experience a quiet center

use puppets, reading wands and other props

recognize letters and words

Legos

develop social skills

build structures

use problem solving

increase fine motor development

build imagination

Writing

develop social skills

increase hand eye coordination

increase fine motor development

use a variety of writing materials

create books, letters

increase letter recognition

practice original writing or copying skills

increase imagination

mimic literacy skills

Sand/Water

develop social skills

increase fine motor skills

experiment with different objects

develop an understanding of volume