Around the Room
When I play with blocks, I am learning...
To understand size, weight and number concepts
To recreate the world around me (representation)
Control and coordination
Balance
Hand/eye coordination
To get along with others in the group
Large motor development
Space relationship
To express my ideas
Problem solving
When I play with manipulatives, I am learning...
How things fit together
Names of colors
Concepts of short, tall and long
Balance and design
Patterns
To distinguish shapes
Hand/eye coordination
Decision making skills
How to play cooperatively with others
Verbal skills
Listening skills
When I play with puzzles, I am learning...
About the relationships of parts to a whole
Hand/eye coordination
Concepts of shape, size, color, and location
Vocabulary related to the subject of the puzzle
About negative and positive space (math and reading concepts)
Self-confidence as I learn more and more difficult puzzles
Independence as I use the puzzle without help
When I scribble and draw, I am learning...
To exercise my creativity and imagination
Concepts of color, shape, size and location
Sometimes to express myself with words to describe my drawing
Representation
Hand/eye coordination
That my ideas have value
To hold a pencil or other drawing implement and to control the pressure (fine motor skill)
When I paint at the easel, I am learning...
To distinguish shapes and purposely create shapes
Hand/eye coordination (helpful in learning to write)
Names of colors and how to make new colors
To develop my imagination and creativity
Concepts of symmetry, balance and design
To notice patterns from background
When I climb equipment, I am learning...
Self-confidence as I develop new skills
Physical strength, coordination and balance
To use my imagination
To cooperate with others
To solve problems
When I play with play dough, I am learning...
Sensory experiences
About representation
To control the fine muscles in my fingers and hands
To see the shape against the background of the table (pre-reading skill)
Concepts of shape, relative sizes (big, small, etc.)
The amount of substance remains the same, even when the shape changes
Numerical concepts of more and less
To see negative space when cookie cutter shapes are taken away (math and reading concepts)
When I play with sensory materials, I am learning...
To control the fine muscles in my fingers and hands
Concepts of shape, size, weight and texture
That the amount of substance stays the same, even when the shape changes
About sorting
About comparisons
When I play in the dramatic play area, I am learning...
To use small muscle skills
Self-help skills
Imitation
Imaginary Play
To group objects
Representation
To share and play cooperatively
Independence
Self-confidence