When I started to design my classroom at the beginning of the year, I had to consider many things about the space. I am a pre-kinder teacher in a non-profit school. It was a challenge since my school used to be a church. My classroom is an open space, the ceiling is about 20 ft high, and I have two wall panels about 8 ft high. We count on only two real walls and one electrical outlet. I placed the children’s cubbies at the main entrance for two reasons. First, I do not have an actual door at the entrance; we have a mounted wall panel door, and putting the cubbies in the entrance gives me security, a feeling that children will not easily open the door. Second, it is the first thing the children visit in the morning; they place their backpacks, jackets, and lunchbox. In the cubbies, I have many visuals and letters printed. The children have the visuals and letters printed on their backpacks, jackets, lunchbox, and names.

Writing Center

The writing center is located in the maintenance. The writing center is located because of all the quiet areas at the front of the classroom. In this area, there is a medium table for four children. Setting up a compelling classroom writing center is a great way to have kids writing independently, building and practicing skills, and having a great time. The goal of the writing center is to provide students with access to writing tools (so that they can become more independent learners), to foster opportunities for them to create the writing they choose or that their teachers choose, to encourage them to think of themselves as writers, and to develop students love for the written word (McCoy et al. 2017). Writing centers are good places for students to go and either work on their own or with other students and teachers. The writing center has shelf storage in front of the table, with usually writing materials such as paper pencils, colored pencils, scissors, flashcards, paper, and notebooks. In this center, the children practice letter recognition, and I encourage them to start to write. Also, pencils and advice sheets can help children with vocabulary or grammar. Children visit this center to get writing tools, papers, or drawing tools to illustrate. Students may choose a prompt from the holders on cards and write it down in their journals or notebooks following the center’s task (Chapter 5. “Using a Framework for Language and Literacy Teaching”).

Library Center

The library center is next to the writing center and cozy corner. I put them next to these areas because they are quiet, and the children have an actual wall they can lay on. In this area, we have a bookshelf with different types of books. The children love this area because they have free access to books. They use this area to read or to look at books. A functioning, organized library is a must-have in my classroom. By helping children learn library rules, each individual can take full advantage of their new reading space (Chapter 5. “Using a Framework for Language and Literacy Teaching”). The classroom library gives the children a safe place to explore books even before they are actually ready to read. The bookshelf has pictures of all the books in the library to indicate where children should return books (McCoy et al., 2017).

Cozy Corner

The cozy corner is my favorite place in the classroom. I placed this area next to the library because booths are the quiet centers in the classroom. I wanted to place this center in a corner, but I could not because the classroom needs a stable and secure corner. The cozy corner is a designated place in the classroom that children can go to when they feel overwhelmed—making the cozy corner a quiet corner, a safe and comfortable place for the children who want to relax for a few minutes. A cozy corner is essential in any preschool classroom for learning (McCoy et al., 2017). Children must learn when a cozy corner is supposed to be used and what they are supposed to do when in it. The children will have their names printed and a family tree with their family pictures. Sending kids into a safe place is a great place to start, but once they are in it, they need some help soothing down and focusing.

Art

The art center is located next to the cozy corner. It was a great place because it is a neutral area where children can be relaxed and creative without making much noise. In this, the children use their imagination and create different types of art with different materials and have access to the easel. In this area, the children have access to pompous magazines, newspapers, tongue depressors, tempera paints, pastel oils, watercolors, markers, scissors, and different types and textures of paper. The art center must let children feel creative in exploring materials to express themselves. When children are free to explore art materials and make what they want, they engage in the art of the process. While rules are essential, children must feel free to make whatever art they wish using provided materials. In my experience with the classroom, there may be three types of art going on with a big group of children. The three types of young children’s art are especially effective with children in a classroom (Chapter 5. “Using a Framework for Language and Literacy Teaching”). An arts hub can be much more than just in the classroom but also in the home setting. It can seem overwhelming to set up a successful art space in a classroom (McCoy et al., 2017). I will provide different types of diverse art materials depending on the level of proficiency within the classroom’s art centers.

Toys Table

The toys table center is between the art and writing center. This area is located in the middle of the classroom because it is a loud center. In this center, the children play with puzzles, bristle blocks, legos, plus +, and lacing beads. The children use different manipulatives to develop fine motor skills. The best pre-K classroom is safe, inviting, and structured to promote learning, engagement, and student exploration (Neaum, 2013). For example, if my classroom is set up with children sitting around the desks in groups of four, some children might need a visual tool to help them make sense of their workspace. The reason to define this is to ensure that it is active and sometimes noisy. Since children can be anywhere they wish to be during their center time, it is important for every space to feel inviting and organized (Chapter 4. “An Organized Engaging Environment for Learning”).

The dramatic play

The dramatic play center is located next to the music center and toys table center. This area is also a loud area where the children express themselves through play and become creative.
This area helps the children to develop social and real-life skills. In this center, the children are exposed to different environments depending on the unit we are studying. Giving students props in the Dramatic Play Center increases engagement and opportunities for crucial verbal language and skills development (Neaum, 2013). When setting up the play area at the dramatic center, we consider the children’s culture and their community. The props and theatrical materials selected for the dramatic center will make the most significant difference for kids in their role-playing and other theatrical activities. Setting up a fun zone where kids play and learn tremendously benefits. Including the children’s interests in choosing class materials will help them form connections that will expand their learning into new areas.

Science Center/ Water Table / Sensory Bins

The science center is next to the sensory and lightbox table. In this center, the children explore experiments and discover different natural elements that help them stimulate their senses and curiosity. These centers are located in this part of the classroom because we only have one outlet, and we need the electricity source for the lightbox and science center. These three centers are located together because they relate to each other. They are considered quiet and exploration areas. Natural materials provide children with opportunities to observe, wonder, and explore. Students can observe, experiment, make, build, categorize, compare, and interrogate. Children’s inquiries about relevant phenomena are not just the locus for building the background experiences of subsequent scientific learning; they are also a fertile foundation for developing various cognitive skills (McCoy et al., 2017). More and more, the early childhood classroom is the place to have these types of observations of the natural world, which allows all children to develop expertise in inquiry and problem solving, as well as a basis for understanding core concepts.

Block Center

The block center is in the rug at the end of the classroom for two reasons. First, this is one of the loudest centers; second, the children have enough space to build. This is a center where the children engage and work together cooperatively to build. A block-based learning center is essential in early care and education settings, as playing with blocks helps children build motor skills and understand the fundamental concepts of architecture and engineering (Neaum, 2013). Setting up the block learning center organized will help provide an engaging and practical learning experience that the children can enjoy (McCoy et al., 2017). An intentional, well-crafted, and well-stocked block learning center for preschool classrooms can support planned, purposeful learning experiences, particularly around the STEM domain. Playing with blocks also helps children learn how to work with others and gives them opportunities for creative designs. By reinforcing the blocks game with an engineering design process, teachers motivate children to use the center of a block more engaged.

Music Center

The music center is next to the area of the blocks. They are the loudest center of the classroom and must be separated from the quiet centers. The children sing, play different instruments, and dance in this center. The children can access the radio, egg shakers, drums, and sticks. Music is a fun way for children to learn the different sounds of words. Through music and movement, children can express themselves and develop social skills. Starting a Music Center in the classroom takes a little planning, but providing concrete feedback and getting children where they are is worth the effort (Neaum, 2013).