2.9: Effective Play Spaces

Since play is central to how children construct knowledge about the world around them, an important task for teachers is to develop play spaces thoughtfully and purposefully. Play spaces are children’s environments for learning and development. Seeing children as young scientists leads to the creation of play spaces that become the children’s laboratories for learning. Whether inside or outside, their play spaces are where they explore, experiment, and solve problems. Play spaces include materials and furnishings that invite children to explore and discover what the world is like and how it works. When early childhood teachers thoughtfully select and organize play materials, they support an essential aspect of the curriculum—self-initiated exploration, investigation, and invention of ideas. Jones and Reynolds (2011) list the varied roles assumed by early childhood teachers, one of which they refer to as “stage manager.” This role entails the early childhood teacher intentionally setting the stage for learning by selecting toys, furnishings, and materials that encourage children to explore, experiment, and solve problems. In a well-designed early childhood program, the play environment holds immense possibilities for learning and creativity.

Consider how the play environment provides a context for learning in the following vignette:

Vignette

During a moment of play in the art area, infant teacher Joette watches as two-year-old Lucila picks up a wooden frame that encloses two sheets of blue plexiglass. Lucila puts her eyes up close to the plexiglass and peers through. She holds the frame out to Joette, gesturing for her to take it. Joette responds, “You want me to see what you saw, don’t you? I’d love to!” Joette looks through and exclaims, “I see everything blue! Here, your turn, Lucila.” Lucila looks through the block again. Another child walks up and reaches for a different frame, this one with yellow plexiglass inside. The two children laugh together as they move the frames back and forth in front of their eyes. Teacher Joette watches and then picks up a third frame, which has red plastic sheets. She holds it near the window, and a red patch appears on the floor. She gestures to the two toddlers and says, “Oh, look what’s over here!” They rush to the red patch. Lucila steps onto the red and laughs with excitement. “It made red!” she says. “Yes!” says teacher Joette, “Will yours make a color on the floor, too? You want to try?” Lucila holds her frame to the sun, sees a blue spot, and says, “Yes, I made blue!”[1]

It is easy to see evidence of the children’s thinking in this moment of play. They take full advantage of the materials available in this well-stocked play space, which is designed to prompt play with the colors and textures of the materials. They notice the distinct features of the translucent plastic panes. They compare them as they play. They use one item in relation to the other. They experience how they can use the different-colored panes to transform the shadows on the floor. They explore how the shapes change in space and how their actions cause different reactions. The inventions of one child are exchanged with those of the other. In this play space, children can be seen constructing concepts of shape, orientation, light, and transformation.

Joette and her co-teachers supplied this art area with the same care that scientists might stock their laboratories. In the art interest area for toddlers, they placed an array of toys and materials that invite exploration and comparison of color, line, shape, and texture. They ensured that there were objects with both similar and distinct features, in order to challenge the toddlers’ emerging ability to distinguish one object from another. They gathered similar objects of graduated size to challenge the toddlers to explore concepts of size and sequencing. In the collection were identical objects for creating pairs and for assembling many rather than few. The teachers made the materials easily available to the toddlers, on low shelves and in wide, shallow baskets and bins. A variety of containers were labeled, each holding a distinct type of object—objects made from paper in one; a collection of orange and red fabric pieces in another; a collection or blue fabric, feathers, and ribbons in another; and a collection of translucent colored frames in another.

In the natural course of spontaneous play, toddlers encounter various materials and build relationships with concepts of identity, order, size, shape, number, and space. Many of the materials, such as the collection of fabric pieces, are familiar to the toddlers and have been available in the play space bins for several days. Other materials, like long pieces of translucent cellophane paper in various colors, have been recently added by teachers, with the hope of extending and adding complexity to the toddlers’ play with color.

The new materials added to the play space are part of the teachers’ curriculum plan. During their weekly planning, Joette and her co-teachers discuss the observations they made of Lucila and her friends as the children explored the colored panes of plexiglass. As the teachers interpreted the play, they wondered how to add some challenge and surprise to the toddlers’ enjoyment of creating colored shadows on the floor with sunlight and translucent plastic. The subsequent curriculum plan held a question: “In what ways will the children explore the long lengths of colored cellophane that they discover in the art area?” The teachers wondered whether these new materials might encourage toddlers to explore relationships of size, space, and similarity and difference more deeply. The teachers explored possible questions to prompt toddlers’ experiments in transforming the primary colors of yellow and blue cellophane into the secondary color of green.

Once the stage is set for play, teachers observe to discover what will ensue. At times, teachers might narrate what's happening as the children play, offering language related to the play. The teachers might also prompt new ways of looking at the materials, as Joette did when she held the colored pane near the window to catch the sunlight and cast a colored shadow. In that moment, she artfully scaffolded the toddlers’ learning by suggesting a new way to play with the plexiglass. A scaffold is a structure that allows someone to reach higher in order to accomplish a task that they could not have done alone. Teachers scaffold children’s play by connecting with them in shared understanding and supporting them in exploring further to figure something out.

Learning Centers

Many early childhood classrooms are organized into various learning centers. Learning centers in early childhood classrooms are designed to provide young children with hands-on, play-based opportunities to explore, discover, and develop key skills in various areas, including literacy, math, science, and social-emotional growth. These centers encourage independence, creativity, and collaboration while supporting individual interests, learning styles, and developmental needs. They create a structured yet flexible environment that promotes active engagement and meaningful learning. Teachers choose which learning centers to offer and will change the materials in these centers to build on children's experiences and provide new learning opportunities.

Here are examples of some common learning centers you may find in early childhood programs:

Block	Children use blocks of various sizes and shapes to build structures, which helps develop spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, and early math concepts. It also supports collaboration and experimentation with design and balance.
Dramatic Play	This center allows children to engage in imaginative role-play using costumes, props, and real-life scenarios. It promotes creativity, language development, and social skills through pretend play.
Library	Stocked with age-appropriate books, this quiet space invites children to explore language, stories, and print concepts. It builds early literacy skills, vocabulary, and a love for reading.
Sensory	Filled with materials such as sand, water, rice, or beans, the sensory table offers opportunities for tactile exploration. It helps children develop fine motor skills, focus, and sensory awareness.
Art	The art center provides materials such as paint, crayons, glue, and clay for open-ended creative expression. It fosters fine motor skills, imagination, and emotional expression.
Writing	Equipped with paper, pencils, markers, and letter stencils, this center fosters early writing and communication skills. Children practice forming letters, drawing, and expressing ideas through written symbols.
Math and Manipulatives	With tools like counting bears, number puzzles, and measuring cups, children explore numbers, patterns, and problem-solving. This center supports logical thinking and foundational math skills.
Music and Movement	This area includes instruments, scarves, and open space for dancing and making music. It promotes rhythm, coordination, self-expression, and auditory development.
Science and Discovery	Children investigate natural materials, magnets, magnifying glasses, and other tools to explore the world around them. It encourages curiosity, observation, and early scientific thinking.
Woodworking	This center enables children to safely explore basic tools and materials, including wood, cardboard scraps, nails, and sandpaper, under adult supervision. It develops hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, and confidence through hands-on construction and design.
Thematic	This flexible space changes regularly to reflect current classroom themes, such as community helpers, different seasons, or animals. It integrates multiple subject areas and encourages deep, focused exploration of a topic through play, discussion, and creative activities.
Outside	The outdoor space extends the classroom into nature, offering activities such as climbing, gardening, water play, and exploration. The outdoor space doesn't have to be a place for children to run free; it can include centers similar to those found inside, such as blocks and art. It supports gross motor development, environmental awareness, and cooperative play in a natural setting.

References

[1] The Integrated Nature of Learning by the California Department of Education is used with permission