Grade PreK • Student Selected Activities Overview

Grade PreK Student Selected Activities

Overview

Structured play, also known as Center Time or Student-Selected Activities, are intentional opportunities that provide students with a variety of opportunities to learn and explore new concepts through hands-on-activities. Learning through play is a critical component of cognitive development. Play helps children learn problem-solving skills and new concepts in a natural and uninterrupted way. According to Sergio Pellis, a researcher at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, "the experience of play changes the connections of the neurons at the front end of your brain. And without play experience, those neurons aren't changed. It is those changes in the prefrontal cortex during childhood that help wire up the brain's executive control center, which has a critical role in regulating emotions, making plans and solving problems. So play is what prepares a young brain for life, love and even schoolwork.”

There has been much debate on the importance of play in the prekindergarten classroom. According to the Alliance for Childhood, "research shows that children who engage in complex forms of socio-dramatic play have greater language skills than nonplayers, better social skills, more empathy, more imagination, and more of  the subtle capacity to know what others mean.  They are less aggressive and show more self-control and higher levels of thinking."

Centers are also a time for teachers to focus on teaching social scripts, conversational rules, and taking turns. Teachers are mindful to always keep play centers current with the content themes and rotate materials as necessary. Basic centers should always be labeled, organized and conveniently placed for the children to access. Self-selected activities allow students to make their own choices and direct their own play. Adults provide guidance and facilitation and assist all students in building independence. Procedures are in place that allow children to select, transition between, and recall their time spent in centers.