Preparing for Preschool

August 13, 2014

Are you a preschool teacher gearing up for the new school year? One of the toughest challenges you will face as a teacher at this level is keeping students’ attention for an extended period of time. Additionally, you might also struggle with keeping children under control since at this age, they are naturally inclined to explore and get their hands on everything they can. For these reasons and more, classroom set up strategies are especially important for preschool teachers in order to have a successful year. By carefully planning how you set up your classroom, you can maximize the length of time students are attentive for and you can even minimize risk of injury by avoiding any set ups that encourage climbing or running.

The following are a few helpful hints that can help you set up for success:

1. Make it easy for children to understand where certain stations start and end. For example, if you choose to designate a corner for play and incorporate objects such as building blocks, make it obvious that they are not permitted to cross a certain boundary and enter other stations.
2. Separate play stations from learning stations so that students are not easily distracted by other students who might be engaging in playful activities at any given moment.
3. Arrange furniture in a way that eliminates any open spaces where students can freely run around. This will help prevent children from running into other students or furniture.
4. Keep any art supplies or messy activities near the sink, and set up tables or other furniture close by so students are not required to carry supplies too far away.
5. Store supplies that children will use often, such as paper and pens/pencils, at low levels. Should you store these supplies at high levels, students may see it as an opportunity to climb on surrounding furniture.

Once you are done setting up, be sure to observe your classroom from your desk to ensure that you will be able to see all students at all times. But before even starting the process of setting up your classroom, we recommend taking a good look at the furniture you are presented with. Does the majority of your furniture have rounded edges? Are student shelves and cubbies accessible? These are all things you must consider in order to have a successful year in a preschool classroom!

Here at Nickerson Corporation, we recognize the importance of selecting the correct furniture for preschool classrooms. Working with manufacturers Jonti-Craft and Wood Designs, we supply preschool furniture made from durable materials with enhanced safety features so that you can create a safe learning environment for young children. For more information on our preschool products, click here or contact us today at (631) 666-0200!