Simple and Simply Fun Kindergarten Play Centers

I bought these bins when they were on sale at Target.

Let me set the record straight: we don't play much in our kindergarten. There is PlayDoh on the tables each morning before the official start of the school day.  During our  daily STEAM centers, students are building with blocks in the Engineering center, creating things in the Art center, and playing games in the Math center.  And we do have recess each day for 20 minutes.  But, for most of my 23 years teaching kindergarten, we have not had much time for dramatic play, sensory play, or imaginative play.  There have always been time-consuming academic goals and, for the last 6 or 7 years, Common Core standards.

However, a couple of summers ago, I created developmental play centers for my classroom which take up very little space, cost very little money, and took relatively little time to make. Last year, we were able to enjoy these play centers for 15 minutes each day (plus 10 minutes for set-up and clean-up.)  This year, we have time for play centers once a week. 

Clothespins are coded with the designated table grouping colors.
The clothespins move down each day so students visit different play centers.

I don't know where I discovered all of these great ideas or even if they are very original.  But they are lots of fun and great learning is taking place through play!

Transportation:  My sons had a lot of tiny Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. For about $10,  I bought a yard of carpet runner at Home Depot, cut it into strips, and painted white lines down the middle.  My husband cut little grooves in wooden blocks and glued popsicle sticks in the grooves.  I hot-glued laminated road signs to the sticks.  Children enjoy setting up their own roadways.

Construction Zone:  I had small construction vehicles in my sons' collection.  I bought some cookie sheets at the dollar store and a big bag of dried pinto beans.  We store the beans in Tupperware.  The little orange bowls were a "find."  This is great sensory play!

Zoo:  I had plastic zoo animals from earlier years teaching kindergarten.  Parents have contributed others, as well.  I bought a pad of scrapbooking papers which included ones which looked like grass, water, sand, concrete, and dirt.  I cut strips of the paper which looked like concrete and glued them around the other papers to look like like sidewalks.  I also made small tented signs with the names of the animals and pictures. Designing a zoo is really fun.

Pet Vet: This play center replaces the Zoo Center when it has lost its charm.... I had a couple of doctor's kits and always, always, always have Beanie Babies!  The kids take turns playing pet owner and vet.  I created an office visit summary paper, as well.  

Baby Day Care:  My daughter willingly parted with several of her old baby dolls, doll blankets, doll clothes and accessories.  Parents contributed baby doll bottles, board books, and a baby carrier. In order to include some reading activity in this center, I created some task cards like "Feed the baby," "Rock the baby," and "Wash the baby's face." Boys and girls alike love to take care of the babies.

Kitchen:  Of course, there is a kitchen!  I had kept the dishes and foods from the kitchen area we once had in kindergarten. I picked up some pretty placemats at a dollar store (oh, how we teachers love the dollar stores!)  Once again, parents have been wonderful about contributing other items.  I included a laminated place setting page in the box of kitchen things.  

Fruit and Vegetable Stand:  Midyear, the kitchen becomes a fruit and vegetable stand.  I add a couple of recyclable bags, purses and wallets from the dollar store, and trays for sorting the fruits and vegetables.  I did buy a quality cash register , thinking it would be a nice toy some day for the grandchildren.  We have toy money in our math materials.  This center was really interesting for these older kindergarteners.

Dollhouse:  I had a lot of dollhouse furniture that I had saved from my own children's toys and earlier days in kindergarten.  I used scrapbook papers again to create flooring and then I laminated these pages.  The children lay out the flooring and then furnish each "room" before playing with the dolls.  Again, boys and girls both enjoy this kind of play.

Do I believe a quality kindergarten program should include this kind of play every day?  Absolutely.  Children need this time to develop social skills.  The pendulum swings in education; I'm sure the day will come again where children can play and play and play.