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(Unit 5) Topic 6: Organizing Learning Centers

1 Clock Hour of Early Childhood Education

Managing Centers

​Topic 6 Page 9

​Be Prepared
​Make sure all of the required materials are ready before students arrive at each of the learning centers. If everything is not in place, students will have to wait for you to gather all of the supplies, which not only wastes time but can send your student’s behavior into a downward tailspin. 

​Expectations
Be sure that you are discussing and modeling appropriate behavior with all of your students. Expectations for behavior during structured and free time at learning centers should be reviewed consistently, not just when they are introduced. This little bit of preventative maintenance will help your classroom tremendously. 

​Routines
Children need to know what is going to happen during their day. This is where schedules come in. At the beginning of the year, plan out a detailed schedule for the day, including when you are going to have center time and how long each rotation will last. You will notice that children will begin to anticipate what activity is going to happen next. This will help with transitions, which can be hard for some students. 

​Groups
The grouping of students for centers can be done many ways. They can be divided up by ability level, temperament, or occasionally randomly. These groups are often given a color or animal name. It’s a great idea to have a chart posted in your classroom with children’s pictures, so they can visually see what group they are in. Groups can be changed weekly, bi-weekly or monthly depending on the needs of the students in them. Changing too often may confuse and frustrate your students. 

​Cues
Typically an auditory cue (a bell, clap, or call and response) is given by the teacher to signal to students when it is time to change centers. This grabs your students’ attention and prevents teachers from having to repeat information over and over again. 

Practice
Students will need opportunities to practice moving to different centers. When new groups are formed, it may be a good idea to have students practice taking cues and rotating from center to center. Know that the first couple of rotations may not go completely smooth, but like with any skill, your students will get better at it.  

​Necklace Nametags 
A great classroom management technique for free time at centers is nametags. Have students practice writing out their name on a piece of paper, attach a picture of the child, laminate the tag, and attach it to a lanyard. Next, label how many students can be at each center and attach removable hooks. When it is time for free time at centers, pass out nametags and allow students to choose a center by hanging their nametag on a hook. Students will know when a center is “full” when there are no open hooks to hang their nametag on. This management strategy prevents overcrowding at centers while still allowing choice. 

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