Dramatic Play Area
The dramatic play area provides one of the best activity
areas in a classroom for children to initiate play to begin
to deal from some of the experiences that have recently occurred.
Provide dress up materials that allow children to practice
being police and fire persons, doctors, nurses, etc. Provide
soft dolls and men's and women's dress up clothing for children
to practice being family, caring for others, or rescuing
others - whatever children want to be.
Block Play Area
The block play area provides opportunities to build
structures and use materials in ways that represent
meaningful experiences for children. They can build
up structures and knock them down or they can work
with others in cooperative fashion to learn the value
of working together. Through play children can defuse
some of the stress they feel.
Provide plenty of blocks for construction. Include
small vehicles and sturdy block play people to enhance
the experience.
Provide a city or town mat for the floor to use with
small vehicles. |
|
Playing with manipulative toys,
Moldova |
Manipulative Area
Manipulative materials give children additional
opportunities to find ways that are fun to relieve stress
and even get part of their life under control.
Provide puzzles of police and fire persons,
doctors, nurses, etc. Children can imagine the work of these
community helpers as they put the puzzles together over and
over again.
Provide other manipulative materials that
can be used on tabletops individually by children or used
cooperatively with several children working together. Include
puppets in the manipulative area.
|
Art Area
Art is an excellent way for children
to express their feelings. Even children who might not
be able to talk about their experiences can use art
to relieve stress.
Provide a large supply of crayons, markers, paint, brushes,
finger paints, collage materials, as well as clay and
playdough. |
Library/Reading Area
Reading with children is an excellent way to help them have
fun as well as relieve stress and work through some of the
difficult experiences they have recently encountered.
Provide
books about feelings for children to realize that feelings
are not good or bad, they are OK - and everyone has them.
Also be sure to have some of the old time favorites of children
in your class. They will feel comforted.
Back to Teacher
Focus 
Back to top
|
