For young children, the play environment is like their “university”, although they do not sense the significance, because they are usually enjoying themselves at play. Playing with toys is their “major” in the early years of their life, for with their toys, and their imagination, they play and learn. Even more importantly, it has been said that “Play is the mechanism by which children learn—how they experience their world, practice new skills, and internalize new ideas—and is therefore the essential ‘work of children’ [according to teacher and author Vivian Paley]” (Guyton, 2011). Therefore, the learning environment of children, the design, the features and toys, are important and necessary considerations for building an atmosphere not only for learning, but also for working in the classroom. In this document, the importance of a learning center with toys and a manipulative play area will be discussed. I omit the listing of my current toys, and have provided a selection of my ideal toys and manipulatives for the children. Lastly I will offer a design for the learning area.
A quote from educator and author J. L. Hymes says, "Young children are not good sitters. They are hungry for stimulation. They want to see, touch, taste, sniff, handle, and use materials. They want to test things out for themselves" (Backer, 2016). This is my reasoning in my choice of a manipulative play area in the learning center. Manipulatives help learners, because they “help to develop fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and visual discrimination, help the learner to recognize shapes, colors, and textures, compare and contrast, matching classification, and patterns. Manipulatives also help the learner with following directions, sequences and concentrating for completing tasks, and offer children the chance to practice creativity and problem-solving” (Extension System, 2016). Listed below is an ideal set of materials that I wish to have on hand in my manipulative play area. Perhaps through successful grant writing, funding could be appropriated for such a set of materials.
Duplo Blocks Multilink Cubes Bead Mazes
Lincoln Logs Jumbo Dinosaurs Sets Jumbo Farm Animals Sets
USA Wooden Puzzles Inflatable (Tough) Globes Discovery Space Center Sets
Art Easel Sets Animal Hospital Sets Doctor Nurse Sets
Preschool Learning Centers Set up Tables Math Manipulative Sets
Alphabet Sets Hand Puppet Sets Musical Instrument Sets (Orff, etc.)
(Educational Toys Planet, 2016)
There might be some difficulty placing so many items within a classroom. I would like to have a special set of drawers designed for many of the manipulatives to be built according to the different sizes of each item. It might be expensive, but would be well worth it to build storage space so that the items are not their proper place in the learning area. Even a wall space created to hold some of the items if necessary is possible. It would be a wonderful experience for students to have a diverse set of materials specifically related to the possible work the objects infer. All in all, a classroom with this set of manipulatives would be fun, and all in a day’s work for the learners.
References
Early Childhood NEWS - Article Reading Center. (2016). Earlychildhoodnews.com. Retrieved 29 July 2016, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=123
Educational Toys for 3 Year Olds - Educational Toys Planet. (2016).Educationaltoysplanet.com. Retrieved 29 July 2016, from https://www.educationaltoysplanet.com/35years.html
Guyton, G. 2016). Using Toys to Support Infant-Toddler Learning and Development. Retrieved 29 July 2016, from https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201109/Using%20Toys_Guyton_Online_0911.pdf
The Manipulatives/Table Toys Center in Child Care - Extension. (2016). Articles.extension.org. Retrieved 29 July 2016, from http://articles.extension.org/pages/70636/the-manipulativestable-toys-center-in-child-care
