The intrinsic worth of a manipulative play area in classrooms of the early learning center is based on setting up and upholding significant and considerate relationships with educationalists, parents, and children in the school. Manipulative play area in classrooms refers to activities where young students are provided with manipulative and table toys that serve as an opportunity for the children to grow their fine motor abilities while looking at different digits, characters, and colors. Manipulative play area in the classroom allows young students to be in charge of their world by managing the bits and pieces they bring into play.
Children get a chance to learn best by conduct experiment with their surroundings with the help of hands-on activities and play. It is one of the most prominent reasons that learning centers are such an essential element of the playschool’s classroom. An extensive variety of equipment used in childcare and early education programs fall into the group of "manipulative," including different kinds of educational toys and collections of bits and pieces for cataloging. The manipulative play area is referred as a table toy. It is the main part of the early childhood set of courses as children it helps the children to practice an extensive variety of different skills.
The manipulative playing area in the classroom is supposed to be in an area with table and seats. The teachers need to understand that working with manipulative needs serious attentiveness, so it is better to keep this area away from boisterous areas such as blocks and dynamic play. Short height shelves can be utilized as a dividing wall and can be consigned to store different objects. The main purpose of the center is basically evident to targeted children such as kids with some physical or mental disabilities. The targeted children are provided with enough amounts of toys. Since most of the toys used in the classroom are close-ended which means they all have a specific purpose to achieve. Close ended materials are self-correcting as it helps in building interest in young children. The toys are developmentally suitable, which is offering challenges to children but are not even so difficult that it will become a source of frustration for kids. Toys are available for an extensive range of all developmental levels and these toys reflect cultural and traditional diversity as well. They toys are designed in a way that it is becoming useful for disabled children too. The toys are kept on short-heighted shelves in a well-organized manner so disabled children can easily get those materials. The names of all different toys are written on the shelves so children can easily select it and then put it back to the suitable place. The materials are anti-biased as anyone in the classroom can use them. There are different types of educational games available for children such as arts and crafts, visual thinking, shape sorters, mazes, and puzzles. Graded project based learning are necessary in the early grades to build up innovative knowledge character. Early learning center’s way of welcoming young children is appealing and aesthetically gratifying.
The toys and other required objects can be displayed in bins or containers, which can be placed on those short height shelves so kids can easily collect the toys. It is possible to place a revolving table for children so they can get a chance to explore more objects in the classroom. The best way to store all those toys and materials are to put them in a bag in those shelves or a cupboard in the classroom.
The main purpose of manipulative play area in the classroom of early learning center is to provide extracurricular activities to children as it helps them in making better and more correct decision in their lives. According to Bullard (2010), it is the responsibility of teachers in early learning center to offer a specific place for education games in the classrooms (Bullard, 2010). The objects used in the manipulative play are effective for both healthy and mentally challenged children, in fact, these educational games make brain of the kid more productive and efficient. All curriculum activities in manipulative play help children in reaching their age apposite knowledge goals.
In future, manipulative play area in classrooms can become technically more advanced, where kids will be provided with a robotic technology to guide them in their educational games. A large screen can be placed on the tables where kids can play games by touching the display easily.
The manipulative center is a place where kids are usually working on errands that involve attentiveness. It is essential to set up a manipulative area in the classroom far away from places that tend to be raucous and dynamic, such as block building and dynamic play. Having small sized tables with only a small amount of seats at all table persuades children to work independently or in a small team.
Reference
Bullard, J. (2010). Creating Environments for Learning: Birth to Age Eight. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
