What Is This Unit About?
This unit suggests ways to use space in your home for different kinds of play for children in your care.
Activities that Help Children Learn
The way you arrange space in your home can help you provide a variety of play experiences for children. Let’s begin by describing eight kinds of activities we expect to find in a good child care program.
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Few providers can offer every one of these eight kinds of activities every day. However, just as we offer children balanced and nutritious meals and snacks, we should try to offer them a balance and variety of play.
Why Do Providers Need to Plan Space for Play?
Most early childhood educators believe that children learn best through play, with adults acting as guides, interpreters, stage managers, and prop finders — and sometimes as playmates, comforters, and arbitrators! It has been said that "adults play to escape reality, children play to practice reality." Part of "practicing reality" involves helping children
- explore the physical world around them
- understand their own thoughts and feelings — and those of other people
- explore what they can do with materials, both natural (like sand and water) and created (like blocks and books)
- explore beauty in nature, music, literature, art, and language
As we help children explore and understand, their play will reflect their learning and the important ideas they are working on.
How Can Family Day Care Providers Plan for Activity Areas?
In an Apartment Setting:
Let’s visit our friend Sonia Perez* to see how she organizes
space in her home. Like most good providers, Sonia understands the importance
of good storage. She arranges toys and materials in an orderly and consistent
way, so that children know where to find what they need. The children
also know that they should put things back where they found them.
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Sonia tells us she learned the hard way that toy boxes and laundry baskets can lead to a messy play area, as children "dump and spill" to find what they need! Sonia uses low, open storage shelves wherever she can, and she has a carefully thought-out plan for activity areas in her home. |
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Sonia lives in a two-bedroom city apartment, with a large kitchen/dining area, a bathroom, hall, and carpeted, medium-sized living room. Two low sets of shelves line the walls of her dining area. On one she keeps wooden blocks neatly arranged by sizes and shapes. She has outlined the block shapes on the shelf with a marker, so the children can "play a matching game" when they put the blocks away. Also on the block shelves are shoeboxes filled with small toys that can be used in block building. One box contains small plastic animals and another holds cars and trucks, for example. |
| On the other set of shelves Sonia keeps games, puzzles, and sorting and matching toys. All of the items on both sets of shelves are easy for the children to get to. |  |
Making Room to Play
Sonia puts the leaves down on her dining table and moves it into the hall to make space for the children to play.
On the other side of the kitchen Sonia has a low table and child-sized chairs. Children eat meals and snacks and work with art and science materials at this table.
When not in use, the art and science materials are stored neatly on a small wheeled cart, which Sonia keeps in her broom closet — bringing them out for planned activity times during the day.
Sonia is quick to point out that messy activities should take place as near to a sink as possible! She keeps a stack of plastic dishpans under her sink and uses them in a variety of ways. Sometime she fills them with warm soapy water for washing and pouring activities, sometimes she fills them with sand for digging, and on some glorious occasions she and the children make mud!
On the back of Sonia’s bathroom door is a row of hooks. Each child has a toothbrush and a towel on a special hook, as well as a waterproof smock for messy activities. A large net bag hung on the door is for "trash to treasure" items the children can use in their play — margarine cups, coffee scoops, etc. The children use these treasures in the dishpan activities but can also ask for them when they are building blocks or having dramatic play.
Using Unusual Features to Enhance Play
Sonia has a large bay window in her living room. She arranges this space for dramatic play, with a suitcase of dress-up clothes, a basket of plastic dishes, and housekeeping furniture (stove, sink, doll beds, and cupboard) she and the children have made out of sturdy cardboard boxes.
When the children are not with her, Sonia puts play materials in the cardboard furniture and stores them in her bedroom. She explains that the bay window often changes from a place to play house to a store, library, bank, dentist’s office — or even a zoo, train, or fire engine!
Over the years Sonia has developed a dozen props boxes, in which she keeps toys and materials for all kinds of dramatic play. These boxes are stored on a high shelf in her bedroom closet, where she can find them as the children’s play interests change.
Next to the couch in her living room, Sonia keeps a big basket with fifteen or twenty books. Some are old favorites, which are read over and over again. Others are library books, which Sonia and the children change each week after the library story hour.
Sonia pulls her couch about two feet away form the wall to create a small, cozy space. Children use it to look at books, play with puppets or flannel boards, listen to musical tapes, or, as one child told us, "for peace and quiet!" Sometimes the musical tapes attract all the children and Sonia into the living room for singing, dancing, or forming a parade to the neighborhood playground.
Prop boxes — What are they?
A prop box is a box, like a shoe or boot box, clearly labeled with a play theme, containing small toys or household items that can be used to enrich or suggest a kind of dramatic play. Here are some examples of prop boxes:
Grocery store - The props box might contain small, empty food containers — tea bag boxes, egg cartons, margarine cups, etc. and some some paper bags and grocery store receipts. Items such as a toy cash register, shopping cart, old purses and play money can set the stage for shopping play.
Beauty shop - The box might contain combs, curlers, barrettes and ribbons. An old lampshade can serve as pretend hairdryer. Don’t be surprised if boys want to play too!
Office - children can set up their own office with scrap paper, pencils, a clipboard, old phone book and old office equipment, such as a calculator.
Successful props boxes depend upon the imagination and ingenuity of the adults! Remember too that safety is a concern when designing prop boxes. Only choose items that meet child safety regulations. Dramatic play should always be closely supervised by an adult.
Large Muscle Play Is Important
Sonia admits that her apartment does not have adequate space for big muscle activity. So she and the children go to a small playground down the block EVERY day. Sonia says her families learn that she means EVERY day very quickly and provide their children with boots, mittens, warm jackets, raincoats, and umbrellas! She has a special waterproof cover for the baby carriage so even the youngest child can be outside. "Even though it’s a hassle to get ready, when you see how much the kids enjoy a chance to run, climb, and blow off steam, it’s all worth it," she says.
In a Basement Setting:
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While Sonia has limited space, Rosemary Higgins says she has the opposite problem — too much space! She and her family occupy a ranch-style house with a large walkout basement that runs under the entire house. The rear third of this basement is walled off to contain the furnace, water heater, storage space, and a small laundry room, with a toilet and sink. The remaining space, with an outside exit, is the area Rosemary uses for her child care program. In many ways it seems like an ideal environment for children’s play, but Rosemary says the space seems to invite running and that she has had a hard time establishing cozy areas for quiet play or reading. |
How Rosemary Arranges Space
Instead of placing her couch flat against the wall, she places it at a right angle to the wall and uses it as a divider for the room. The seating part of the couch faces the dramatic play area, often becoming a bed for dolls or tired teddy bears. The back of the couch forms one "wall" of the block area.
Like Sonia, Rosemary has been creative in arranging her space to encourage eight kinds of activities. She uses furniture to define activity areas.Blocks are stored on two wide, low, sturdy book cases which, like the couch, extend at a right angle from the wall, about nine feet from the back of the couch. The area is outlined with yellow tape to help the children see more clearly exactly where the blocks are to be used. Children understand that the blocks stay in the block area.
Although the basement floor is covered with indoor/outdoor carpeting, other floor coverings help define play areas. Rosemary puts a washable cotton rug she bought at a garage sale in the dramatic play corner. Around the rug she arranges a homemade play stove and sink, and on the rug she places a child-sized table and chairs. Dress-up clothes hang on hooks on the wall, and a small bookshelf holds pots, pans, plastic dishes, and other objects children can use to create a library, grocery store, or other setting for dramatic play. The wall in this area is decorated with posters and pictures, and contains mailboxes (made from liquor cartons) for messages to and from parents and children.
Under some high windows Rosemary has defined a "messy area" by putting a washable floor covering on the floor. The children call this the "smooth green floor," and it is here that they paint, use play dough, do scientific experiments, and draw and write at an old kitchen table Rosemary has cut down to child size. This area is next to the laundry room door, so cleanup is easy.
A Tent for the Book Center
The focal point of the large room is a tent of mosquito netting. Rosemary got this idea from a home decorating magazine, which pictured a bed draped with netting attached to a ring on the ceiling. Rosemary adapted the idea by attaching rings to the basement ceiling and tying long pieces of mosquito netting to the rings. She then arranged pillows in a circle about five feet in diameter, pulled the netting behind them and tucked it in under them. The result is a dramatic-looking cozy tent in the middle of the room. The children caution visitors to "be careful of the tent ‘cause it’s not very strong!" Rosemary keeps a basket of books in the tent, where children can look at them, or take them wherever they choose in the room.
The Boat!
At the end of the basement, under the stairs, is a "boat," created by cutting, taping, and painting large cardboard boxes. This pretend boat is a wonderful site for imaginary journeys, as well as a private work place for children who want to do a puzzle, write, or play without "help" from a crawling baby. And sometimes Rosemary and the baby have a turn in the boat while the older children paint or do other "big kid" activities.
Music
Hanging on a pegboard near the boat is a collection of homemade musical instruments. Above the pegboard on a high shelf, Rosemary has a tape recorder and a collection of musical tapes — some specifically designed for children, some folk, jazz, classical, and some of Rosemary’s favorite show tunes. When the weather is too bad for outside play, Rosemary ties up the tent and she and the children sing, dance, and march to music.
Safety Is Always Important
When planning play areas and equipment for children, always be aware of safety concerns. If you use area rugs, plastic floor coverings, or carpet remnants, you may need to use duct tape to secure the edges so children don't trip and fall. Always watch for small pieces on toys and equipment that could be removed or break off and be swallowed by children or pets. Splinters are another concern when using items made from wood. Paint chips can also be a hazard to children and pets. Cracks, sharp edges, chips, and fragile items that chip, crack, or break easily can be sources of cuts and scrapes. Curious, active children will naturally have accidents, scrapes, and bruises now and then. Your goal must be to have the safest place possible so that children can be free to explore, play, and learn without getting hurt.
Summary
Thinking about activity areas for eight different kinds of play can help you arrange space for children to learn in your home. Plan to have messy activities in a room with a washable floor and a sink. Use low, open shelves for play materials like blocks. Mark the shelves with symbols or pictures so children learn to put materials away in a logical order. Rotate toys and materials as the children’s interests change. Plan a cozy place for quiet activities and looking at books. If you can’t provide lots of active play indoors, take children outside every day.
Rosemary has two unusual pieces of equipment in her child care room. Not everyone will have room for a tent and a boat (or other creation made from large cardboard boxes). We describe them here so you can think about ways to use unusual objects and equipment that may be available in your community or to you as an individual. Unusual packing boxes, an old steering wheel attached to a log or sturdy box, a discarded bassinet or cradle, old telephones with the cords cut off, and a large apple crate are among some of the treasures that can enrich children’s play.
As you think about your own space, consider how you might make room for the eight kinds of activities we have described. Brainstorm with the children, their parents, your family, and friends about creative ways to enrich your program by rearranging or adding to your play area. Although it may seem like an effort, you will be richly rewarded when you see how much the children enjoy and learn from the changes or additions you make.
*All names used in this learning unit are fictitious.
Assignments:
- Think about how Sonia Perez and Rosemary Higgins arrange their homes
for children. Choose one of these caregivers and describe where in their
home they find a place for these activities:
- Expressive art
- Dramatic play
- Science
- Music
- Language arts
- Large muscle play
- Small muscle play
- Construction activities
- In Sonia's home the art and science carts are available only at certain times. Can you think of ways for Sonia to make art and science activities more available to children?
- In what ways does Sonia use furniture to define activity areas for children in her home?
- Describe three things Rosemary does that you could do in your home.
In the unit, there are situations that weren't addressed, like how Rosemary prepares meals, or where the telephone is located. Describe a situation where Rosemary might need to be in a part of the house other than the basement and how she should handle it. - Describe the activity areas in your house where children have opportunities
for the following activities:
- Large muscle play
- Science explorations
- Creative art
- Language arts
- Dramatic play
- Small muscle play
- Construction activities
- Music