Preschool-Materials-Guide.pdf

P R E S C H O O L M AT E R I A L S G U I D E

Published February 2010

Herman T. Knopf & Kerrie L. Welsh

 

Table of Contents

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………..1

The Preschool Environment ……………………………………………….3

Learning Centers ………………………………………………………………..4

Block Center ……………………………………………………………………….7

Dramatic Play Area ……………………………………………………………..9

Art Center …………………………………………………………………………12

Manipulatives Center ……………………………………………………….15

Cozy Book/Library Center ………………………………………………17

Science/Discovery Center ………………………………………………..19

Music and Movement Center …………………………………………..21

Sand and Water Center …………………………………………………….23

Computer Centers …………………………………………………………….25

Outdoor Play …………………………………………………………………….27

Notes ………………………………………………………………………………..29

References …………………………………………………………………………30

APPENDIX I

This document is meant to support the thoughtful selection of
equipment and materials as part of efforts to increase the quality
of childcare programming experienced by young children in South
Carolina. The document is being field-tested to solicit feedback from
Early Childhood Professionals from across the state. Please send
comments and suggestions to the:

USC Child Development Research Center
[email protected] | (803) 777-2136

Acknowledgments

South Carolina is appreciative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that have made this initiative to upgrade
the materials and equipment for South Carolina child care providers (centers, family homes, and group homes) a reality. The ARRA funds
were made available to the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS), administrator for the Child Care and Development
Fund (CCDF) under the leadership of Leigh W. Bolick. To assure the developmental appropriateness and quality of the Guide, SCDSS
sought the early childhood leadership and management of the College of Education, University of South Carolina.

This Preschool Materials Guide is designed to assist child care providers in selecting high quality materials for their classrooms, not only
for the ARRA funded grants in the short term, but also for long-term planning to help guide and prioritize future purchases. It is a tool
that can help make the most of current investments as well as those in the future.

The Preschool Materials Guide is the result of careful consideration of South Carolina’s child care regulatory standards, the South Carolina
ABC Child Care Program Standards, and the Environment Rating Scales (ERS) used at the different quality levels of the South Carolina
ABC Child Care Program. The South Carolina Good Start Grow Smart Early Learning Standards were reviewed and incorporated as well.
The Preschool Materials Guide was modeled after an ABC Child Care Program guide authored by the late Saundra V. Ground, M.Ed.

Herman T. Knopf, Ph.D., and Kerrie L. Welsh, M.A., authors and editors of this guide, wish to thank Carol Perkins, M.Ed., Angela Baum,
Ph.D, Nancy Freeman, Ph.D, Jillian Peltzman, Elyse Osborne, and Rebecca Horsey for their work in support of this document. Thanks
are also given to Mac Brown, Ph.D who provided some of the photographs included in the guide.

Review and comments by the following staff of the South Carolina ABC Child Care Program are greatly appreciated: Beverly B. Hunter,
M.S.; Noelle P. McInerney, M.Ed.; Myrna S. Turner, M.Ed.; Cynthia P. Moyd, M.A.; Ginger Miller, and Melissa Heston.

Reviews from Richard Knight and Bob Howard at South Carolina Child Care Licensing are also greatly appreciated.

Graphic design by Michelle M. Moshinskie.

Introduction

The choices for designing a quality childcare program for young
children can be overwhelming for a childcare professional, especially
when working with a limited budget. This guide has been created to
help you to design a high-quality environment for young children,
while making the best choices for your budget. While purchasing the
correct materials is not sufficient supervision and interaction with
interested adults is necessary for children to make full use of them.
Through intentional teaching, materials can be used for both child-
guided experiences and adult-guided experiences. Materials need to
be: interesting to children, sturdy, age appropriate, offer variety and
choice, and be arranged in such a way as to encourage independence
and creativity.

How This Document is Organized

In this guide, we look at the whole classroom to identify and describe
basic equipment and materials that should be in classrooms for
preschool aged children. The following sections of this guide provide
descriptions of common learning centers found in early childhood
classrooms. The description of each learning center includes these
features:

Development & Learning
This section describes the developmental domains that are likely to be
addressed as a result of child and teacher engagement in the center.
Notes have been included to help you connect children’s learning in
each center with the South Carolina Good Start Grow Smart Early
Learning Standards.

Materials List
This prioritized list includes the basic materials needed in the
learning center as well as accessories that will expand and extend
children’s interest and discovery.

Brand names are sometimes used to describe items but are not meant
to be exclusive. Generic “copies” of those items may be acceptable
with the following precaution: materials should be durable enough
for daily use by young exuberant learners.

The Shopping List

Included at the end of this guide is a classroom inventory checklist
that can be used to help you create and prioritize your materials
and equipment shopping list. First you will use the list to conduct
a classroom inventory, identifying all of the items on the list that
you currently have and their present condition (like new, good, in
need of repair). Then, review the list to determine if there are any
materials that you either need to replace or add to your classroom.
There are quantities listed for each item on the list. These are based
on a class size of 20 children. Use your professional judgment when
determining the quantities of materials you will need based on the
number of children enrolled in your class.

Fundamentals

While this document focuses on the materials and equipment that
should be in the learning environment, they are no replacement for
high quality teacher/child interaction. The way in which caregivers
make use of the items in their classrooms will have a significant impact
on the overall quality of the learning experience for young children.

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Teacher/child interaction is the most important aspect of a high
quality learning environment. Great teachers help children learn by
observing how children use materials and then talking to the children
about what they are doing to extend the learning experience. These
intentional teachers work alongside children to ensure that materials
are used in healthy and safe ways while also making the learning
experience fun and educational.

In addition to attending to how materials are used in the environment
it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that the learning
environment is healthy and safe. Materials need to be kept clean to
reduce the spread of illness, organized to facilitate meaningful child
engagement and in good repair to reduce unnecessary frustration
or child injury. The few minutes teachers spend throughout the day
making sure things are clean, neat, and ly help teach children to
respect the materials in the environment. If things are accidentally
broken or excessively worn, they should be immediately put aside for
repair, recycled, or trashed.

Attending to Individual Child Needs

While this document will be helpful in identifying basic materials
and equipment that should be included in a classroom environment
for children from three to five years of age, thoughtful planning will
also be necessary. All children have individual strengths, needs, and
interests and these should be taken into consideration when selecting
and arranging materials in your classroom. When serving young
children with special needs, some environmental rearrangement
might be necessary to adequately accommodate an individual child’s
needs. For example, a child who is easily over stimulated by loud
noises might need an environment that includes sound-dampening
furnishings. A child who uses a wheel chair to move around will need

wide passage ways through the classroom environment. In the case
where a child may need specialized adaptive equipment to benefit
from the general education curriculum (i.e. communication board,
child positioning equipment, and/or specialized eating utensils) the
teacher should contact and collaborate with the child’s caseworker or
IEP coordinator.

While it is far beyond the scope of this document to identify all
possible modifications that might be needed to meet an individual
child’s needs, it is important to recognize that each particular group
of children will be unique and thus will benefit from classroom
customization to ensure that their needs are being met.

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Going from an empty room to a fully operational preschool classroom
requires a vision and a plan. There are certain basic items required
by either regulation or best practices or both, and there is a wide
range of materials from which to choose. Considerations include
developmental appropriateness, alignment with state standards,
environment rating scales, as well as your budget.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC) reminds us that developmentally appropriate practices
have three qualifiers: appropriate to the child, appropriate to the
group, and appropriate to the culture. Therefore, there can be no
strict rule of thumb for what a well-equipped preschool classroom
looks like. However, there are guidelines that can help you design a
classroom to support the learning and play of young children.

General Room Arrangement Guidelines:

• Classrooms should include a balance of areas for active play and
areas for quiet play.
• Messy activity areas such as art, science, and meals should be near
water access to aid in clean-up.
• The “Hand Washing” sink for toileting and diapering should be
separate from a sink used in food preparation.
• Furniture should be arranged to help reduce runways (to
minimize children’s running in the classroom) while making it easy
for children to get around.
• Private spaces for one or two children (to allow for those times
when a child needs to “be by myself ” – not a Time Out space)
• Materials for children should be organized and stored to provide

easy access for children.
• All child accessible materials should be age appropriate, clean, and
in good condition.
• Each child should have an area for storage of personal items.
• Materials not appropriate for children should be stored in a high
and/or locked cabinet to prevent injury.
• Each classroom should include a Parent Communication Area to
encourage parent/teacher communication.
• Each classroom should have at least five learning centers, one of
them a cozy place.

In addition to the above mentioned guidelines, preschool teachers
should also consider several key questions to make sure that the room
arrangement and selected materials are appropriate for the children
and classroom:

• What are the dimensions of the room?
• Where are the windows and the doors?
• Where are the sinks and toilets?
• How many children will occupy this space?
• What are the ages of the children in this room?

Dividing a classroom into learning centers is like dividing the
classroom into small rooms. Typically, low shelves are used to
accomplish this. Child sized shelves are needed in each center for
two purposes:

• Define the center (serve as dividers between centers)
• Provide child accessible storage space for materials

When attempting to maximize the money that you are investing
into classroom materials it is important to consider multiple uses for

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T H E P R E S C H O O L E N V I R O N M E N T

furnishing. For example, the carpet for the block area can also be used
to hold group meetings. The tables used for meals and snacks can also
be part of the art area. While reviewing each center and determining
how they will fit in your curriculum remember to remain open to
many uses for the materials listed.

The following table outlines general use equipment (materials that
are not necessarily associated with a particular learning center) that
should be included in an environment for young children.

GENERAL USE FURNITURE
QUANTITY DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS

At least 2
Child sized tables (so that seated children’s
elbows reach the tabletop)

20
Child sized chairs (so that seated children’s feet
touch the floor)

20 Cubbies
20 Mats or cots
1 Adult chair

1
Lockable storage (for hazardous/toxic cleaning
supplies as well as materials not in current use,
and teachers’ possessions)

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L E A R N I N G C E N T E R S

When designing a developmentally appropriate curriculum for
preschool students, learning centers are a major consideration.
Rooms are commonly divided into learning centers which provide for
a variety of learning opportunities for children to maximize interest
and engagement. Each child has an opportunity to solve problems, to
exchange ideas with peers, and to learn appropriate social behaviors.

Learning centers should provide opportunities for children to work
at their own interest level and at their own pace. An effective teacher
is ever-present to bring about individual learning through teacher-
guided interactions and activities. Most activities are typically child
initiated (the child decides which center to work in, how long,
what materials he/she will use and what the activity will be) while
some planned activities may require more teacher involvement to
take advantage of teachable moments or develop interest among
children.

FA M ILY COM MUNI C AT I ON CEN T ER

This area of the room provides a location for parents to leave and
receive messages and/or talk with a teacher as she/he comes and goes.
Teachers who make a point of having pleasant interactions daily
build a collaborative partnership with each child’s family. Teachers

and parents use this area for sharing the children’s milestones and
accomplishments.

This area is important for smooth transitions between home and the
childcare center. Important communication between families and
teachers is easy with the use of a message center, which may include
a bulletin board, a 3-ring binder or a basket of folders for individual/
private messages. Displaying photos of the children at play or their
artwork can add to the welcoming atmosphere. If you place the
family communication area across the room from the entry it may
draw parents into your classroom and encourage discussion and
involvement in your program.

When deciding which centers you will include, take care to address
the needs of children identified below.

Children should have:
• opportunities for independent and collaborative play
• opportunities for quiet play that is separated from active play
• opportunities to grow in all developmental domains

Supervising Learning Centers

During center time, each child chooses a center to work in. Teachers
should set limits on the maximum number of children who may
work in a center at one time to avoid clusters of children gathering in
just one or two learning centers. These limits should be based on the
size of the learning center and the amount of materials available in
that center. There should be more available spaces across centers than
there are children enrolled in the classroom. This allows children to
move between centers without having to wait for another child to
move.

To select a learning center activity, children need to know how many
children are allowed in a center at a given time. This will require a
planned system that the children can manage and is likely to include
some form of visual aid. Posting a number at the entrance to the center
that represents the maximum number of children allowed at one time
is one strateg y to accomplish this. Another is to hang the number
of clothespins at the entrance to represent the number of children
allowed in the center. As children enter the learning center they are
instructed to take a clothespin and clip it to their shirt. When all of
the clothespins are used, the children know that the center is full.

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While many of the materials in learning centers will remain consistent
throughout the year, some may be rotated regularly to maintain child
interest. Based on the planned curriculum, teachers may select specific
activities to support children’s learning. These should be planned
ahead of time based on children’s interest and ability levels.

Learning centers provide children with:

• Flexibility in the time spent on an activity
• Freedom to participate in a variety of self-selected activities

Common Learning Centers

There are several common learning centers often seen in preschool
programs. The list below includes these learning centers and provides
the structure for the rest of this document. The size of your classroom
and number of children enrolled will inform the number of centers
you might include. While there should be a minimum of five learning
centers, classrooms with more space ought to have as many centers as
possible to offer children a variety of self-selected activities.

1. Blocks
2. Dramatic Play
3. Art
4. Manipulatives
5. Literacy/Books/Library
6. Science/Discovery
7. Music & Movement
8. Sand & Water
9. Computer
10. Outdoor Area

In a classroom where there is a teacher
and an assistant, both are responsible
for supporting children’s play and
work in the learning centers while
also monitoring children and
encouraging supportive friendship
behaviors. In this setting, teachers
move from center to center
assisting where needed and

observing children at play to learn about
individual developmental progress, and to seek out

opportunities to play with children to support growth and learning.

When children are in the learning centers, the teacher’s role is to:

• Encourage children to share ideas and experiences with other
children as well as with the teacher.
• Engage children in conversation and by asking open ended
questions (questions that require more than just yes or no answers).
• Extend children’s learning by introducing new ideas and
materials.
• Model pro-social behavior.
• Support children’s problem solving efforts.
• Observe children’s skills, development and interests.
• Record observations to use in planning and documentation.

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They increase their vocabularies when adults give them new words
to describe what they are doing, and develop their writing skills by
making signs for their buildings.”

(Dodge 2002, p. 243)

The intentional teacher will recognize the value of block play
to meet Good Start Grow Smart Guidelines: APPROACHES
TO LEARNING 1–5, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT 1–4, MATHEMATICS 1–5, LANGUAGE &
LITERACY 5, PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT & HEALTH 1 &
2. Through her/his open-ended questions, “I wonder. . .” statements,
and/or suggestions, as well as the timely addition of materials, a
teacher can guide a child to make his or her own discoveries and
connections as he/she builds.

Considerations for Block Play

It is important to have a sufficient quantity of blocks (200-300) in
various sizes to allow for three or more children to build. Carpet
helps to muffle the crash of blocks falling.

You may find it helpful with younger children to begin the year with
only a few shapes from the set (half-unit or square, unit, and double
unit, perhaps triangles) and add additional shapes over the first few
weeks of school. This will allow you to teach the sorting process at
cleanup time that allows the children to put the blocks away neatly.

B L O C K C E N T E R

Development and Learning in the Block Center

“When children construct, create and represent their experiences
with blocks, they grow in each area of development:

• Social/Emotional: Children negotiate for materials they want
to use, determine how many children can work in the area, care for
materials, and follow the rules for building safely. They also exchange
ideas. Since one child’s idea of how to build a zoo, for instance, may
differ from another’s, children expand their knowledge and learn to
respect viewpoints different from their own.

• Physical: Children’s small muscles develop when they carry and
carefully place blocks together to form a bridge or make an intricate
design. They gain strength in their large muscles using hollow blocks,
and improve eye-hand coordination when they carefully balance
blocks so they won’t tumble.

• Cognitive: As children experience the world around them, they
form mental pictures of what they see. Playing with blocks gives
them an opportunity to recreate these pictures in concrete form.
The ability to create these representations of their experiences is the
basis for abstract thinking. Moreover, block play promotes a concrete
understanding of concepts essential to logical thinking. Children
learn about sizes, shapes, numbers, , area, length, patterns,
and weight as they select, build with, and put away blocks.

• Language: Children are very willing to talk about their
constructions when adults ask questions and show genuine interest.

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Block Play Accessories/Enhancements

Because block play provides children with an opportunity for creative
and imaginative play, it is helpful to present a wide assortment
of accessories and enhancements to support and/or prompt this
creativity. Adding or replacing accessories throughout the year
provides additional challenges to children that promote learning
and development, particularly if you include items that reflect
children’s interests and/or community events (e.g., road construction
equipment). Particular classroom themes can also be reflected in the
accessories and enhancements you provide.

As additional items are included, an additional shelf may be required.
Sturdy containers to keep materials organized facilitate clean-up, as
do shelves labeled with pictures and words. It is recommended that
you rotate these sets of figures, animals, signs, and vehicles. Avoid
keeping too many materials in the block center at the same time as
this may be over stimulating for children and limit your ability to
introduce novelty. Be sure to include materials that are appropriate
for your community (i.e. things that children often see in the world
around them).

BLOCK CENTER
QUANTITY

FURNITURE
As needed Storage shelf
As needed Containers for materials

1 Carpet – solid color and tight weave
MATERIALS TO SUPPORT LEARNING

1 set (200-
300 blocks of
various shapes

and sizes)

Unit blocks (hardwood)

1 set Family figures (multi-ethnic) (6-8 figures)

1 set
Community workers or career people (multi-
ethnic) (6-8 figures)

1 set People with physical impairments (6-8 figures)
1 set Cars (4-6 cars)
1 set Trucks (4-6 trucks)

2 sets
Specialized blocks (tabletop blocks, door &
window blocks, colored blocks, etc.)

3 or 4 sets
Animals (jungle, forest, domesticated, farm,
aquatic): large and/or small

1 set Community vehicles (4-6 vehicles)
1 set Traffic signs
1 set Dinosaurs (4-10)
1 set Wooden train & track

1 set
Specialized blocks (large hollow blocks, see
through blocks)

D R A M AT I C P L AY A R E A

Development and Learning in the Dramatic Play Area

“When children engage in dramatic play they deepen their
understanding of the world and develop skills that will serve them
throughout their lives:

• Social/Emotional: To engage in dramatic play with others,
children have to negotiate roles, agree on a topic, and cooperate to
portray different situations. They recreate life experiences and try to
cope with their fears by acting out roles and situations that worry
them. For example, a child who anticipates going to the hospital for
an operation can pretend to be the doctor. By assuming this role,
the child can switch from feeling out of control to being in charge.
Research shows that children who engage in dramatic play tend to
demonstrate more empathy toward others because they have tried
out being someone else for a while. They have the skills to cooperate
with peers, control impulses, and are less aggressive than children
who do not engage in this type of play.

• Physical: Children develop small muscle skills when they button
and snap dress-up clothes and dress the dolls. They practice hand-eye
coordination and visual discriminations skills when they put away
props and materials.

• Cognitive: When they pretend, children create pictures in their
minds about past experiences and the situations they imagine. These
images are a form of abstract thinking. When children set the table
for a meal for two or use play money to purchase food at their grocery
store, they explore math concepts. They also learn from one another

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as they share ideas and solve problems together.

• Language: To engage with others in dramatic play, children
use language to explain what they are doing and ask and answer
questions. They choose the language that fits the role they have
selected. They use reading and writing skills when literacy props are
included in the Dramatic Play Area.”

(Dodge, 2002, p. 271)

Considerations for the Dramatic Play Center

Standard practice in early childhood classrooms is to provide
children the opportunity to reenact real life experiences, beginning
with their home. Therefore, equipment and materials for pretending
to be mommy and daddy are among the first things to include. Prop
boxes to facilitate other pretend play (such as doctor, grocery store,
and firefighter) can be rotated according to the children’s interests.

Alternative sources of dress-up clothes and pretend food containers
will stretch the budget while still providing items to spur imagination
and creativity. Clothing slightly large for preschoolers can be donated
or found at places such as Goodwill; it will not be as difficult to put on
as adult sized clothes. Empty food-packages (e.g. rice boxes, oatmeal
containers, and cereal boxes) carefully opened and re-taped provide
familiar environmental print that facilitates literacy development.
The items selected should promote healthy food choices. As you
consider real life items to be included in the dramatic play area make
sure that the items are safe for children.

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Dramatic Play Accessories/Enhancements

Dramatic play is limited only by your imagination and that of the
children in the class. It can be re-equipped as often as children’s
interests change, while keeping the original materials available. Just
as in blocks, all of the scenarios are not made available at the same
time, but stored in separate theme-related bins commonly referred
to as prop-boxes. Often, materials supplied in the dramatic play area
reflect classroom themes or allow children to re-create events in
their lives (e.g. a fire in the community would prompt a great deal of
firefighter play).

Materials in prop boxes are collected over time and often consist of
recycled items. For example, an old thick rope makes an acceptable
fire hose and raincoats can be fire coats. Fire companies often give
away children’s fire hats which you can keep in your prop box. Parents
can also be sources of items for prop boxes or material on loan for the
duration of a particular play theme.

Prop-Box Collection Examples:

• Zoo: stuffed animals, empty pet food boxes, pet toys, food bowls,
boxes cut to resemble cages, child-sized broom, animal books
• Grocery Store: calculator/cash register, bags/sacks, empty food
containers (boxes and cans) coupons, play money, signs/newspaper
ads, plastic food, baskets
• Fire Station: raincoats, boots, rubber hose (thick rope or pieces of
old garden hose), hats, telephone, wagon
• Shoe Store: lots of shoes of various sizes and types, shoe boxes,
play money, rules, purses, socks, sacks, cash register/calculator, small
stool, mirror, footies ( feet of panty hose)
• Office: paper, pens, stapler, calculator, tote bags/briefcase,

typewriter, stamp pads, paper …