10 Steps to Center Success

10 Steps to Center Success is here! FLASHBACK to my first year teaching: The thought of center time raised my blood pressure. I was flat-out scared to give my children even a small bit of control in my room. It was 100% MY FEAR and 0% developmentally okay. Looking back, why did I think that 4-year-olds in PreK could do this and my own 5-year-olds could not?

So I finally, reluctantly did center time THE THIRD WEEK OF SCHOOL. I am full of shame and embarrassment as I admit this. But I am telling you this because if you are worried about giving your learners control of a structured time you set up, I get it.

How Did Centers Go At First?

How did my first round of centers go during my first year teaching on week three of school? Just fine. Those kids were most likely so happy I stopped talking to them and let them play they would have done just about anything! I honestly got over my fear and my students thrived.

Now, in my second year of teaching, we went to open-choice or free-flowing centers on the first day of school. And every year since that first year, center time was a huge part of the first day of school.

In fact, center time went from being my most fearful time of the day to my absolutely favorite time of day. I think the reason I love it so much is because my students love it so much. And when they love something, they tend to thrive in it.

10 Steps for Center Success

To get you and your students on the road to a successful center time as well, I want to share with you my top 10 Steps for Center Success.

Start Early

When you are teaching your student all about Kindergarten don’t be scared to let them go to centers from the start. You are teaching them about procedures, expectations, and routines. We all know this is going to be their favorite time of day.

They need to know why they are working so hard… TO PLAY. We have a saying in my room, “Work hard to play hard.” All my pre-K students expect to play in Kindergarten. Many will ask, “When do we get to play?” This is extremely important for them.

Plan for Success

Your job as the leader in the classroom is to plan how to make center time work in your classroom and how to set up your students for success. I highly recommend using a center clip chart. Here is a picture of the chart I made for my classroom.

To make this you will need:

1. a large, firm piece of poster board
2. lots of clothespins
3. construction paper strips and circles
4. Mod Podge
6. Velcro pieces to match poster board like these black squares
7. center time images or pictures (you can find my pack here)

I select all the centerpieces I need in my classroom and print out only those pieces. Here is an image of all the centerpieces I printed out.

I lay the visual center cards out on the poster board, then cut out little paper circles and
glue them down to the card before I laminate the pieces. The circle lets my students know how many friends can be at that center at a time. If a clip is on the circle, they can grab the clip.
If the circle is empty, that clip is out.

I only have to do this one time for several years, so it is worth the effort. Now I have to make the clothespin to match. When I cut out the colored circles, I also cut out strips of the same paper to glue to the clothes pins.

I clip a clothespin onto a basket to hold it up and use Mod Podge to glue down the paper and seal it.
I usually have to remake these clips year after year. The Mod Podge helps keep the paper on the clip amazingly, but my little ones usually ruin the hinge part of the clips before anything else happens. I also make several extra clips in each color so if a colored clip breaks, I can easily replace it with some extra ones I have stashed away.

 Since I put the colored paper on both sides of each clip, attaching them to a basket is a huge help and a time saver while the glue is drying. Lastly, I use Velcro pieces to attach the visual center card to the board.

Why Do I Use Velcro on a Center Chart?

I don’t open the year with all the centers open. I usually open with just 6 TABLE centers. {My tables are color coded so they would be the Yellow Table, Orange Table, Red Table, Purple Table, Blue Table, and Green Table.} I like to be able to add and take away centers as needed.

Model the How-Tos for Center Success

After I have a plan on how to manage center time, I have to model exactly what I expect to see from my little ones during this time.

1. I model how to go to centers. I show them the right way and the wrong way. Additionally, I also explain WHY we have these rules.

2. I model how to change from center to center.  In my room, we return to the clip chart. Then we put our current clip back into its home, then we chose another colored clip. I also model how to clean up each station as they go.

3. I model how to complete centers.  I expect them to clean up after themselves.

Modeling is a great way to show expectations.  They show me what I expect. And if we ever have a few friends join our class, we model all over again. Honestly, it is a good idea to model expectations and procedures as often as needed. If you find yourself reminding several friends how to do something during center time, it might be a good time to remind everyone.

Let Them Go

After you set them up for success and model, LET THEM GO try centers. You don’t know what you forgot to tell them or maybe how awesome they will do with centers until you let them go. I bet you will be impressed with how great they do with the independence you have given them. And the ability to play.

Watch and Learn

As you let your little ones go to centers, your job is to watch them, monitor them, and observe them. I like to start off the year by standing close to the clip chart to help them exchange clips. But my eagle eyes are all over the room.

I like to see who cleans up, shares their toys with others, takes turns, anger easily, walks away from situations, talks it out, tattles, and even prefers to play with who.

I can usually identify leaders in the room easily during this time as well as identify pushovers and bullies. {I say that nicely.  I need to know who doesn’t know how to stand up for themselves yet and those who will take over for them. These are areas I need to work on with friends in the room.}

Sometimes I discover friendships I never would have expected. And I always find out who can play with anyone and who no one wants to play with. I should say this. I am blessed beyond measure to have a TA in my classroom most of the day.

But I do not socialize with them while we have students in the classroom. I am too busy WATCHING and LEARNING. I ask my aid to do the same thing. She usually hangs out around the tables during this time to keep students at the right color table {table colors match clip colors} or she sends them to me to change out their clips.

Try it Again

If my students do something wrong, I calmly remind them or show them what I want them to do, and ask them to try it again. If I see someone doing something I think is AMAZING, I ask them to try that again for everyone else to see. Kinders need repetition.

It is good, healthy, and it is how they learn. And if center time doesn’t go great the first time you do it, guess what my advice to you would be? TRY IT AGAIN. Tell your class in a nice way what was good or not good and ask them to TRY IT AGAIN with you.

One at a Time

Remember how I said I start centers at the beginning of the year with colored tables only? Well, I also have a LOFT in my classroom and an art center, and lots of other stations my students want to get into.

Once we can handle transitioning from one center to another, I know we are ready for a new center. So I open each fun station one at a time station to another.

When we open the loft up, I give the directions for that station. Then I make sure each student gets to go to that station before anyone goes twice. I keep a class list with me to make sure. I make sure each student does the right thing in that station. Once we have learned that center, we move on to another center like a sensory table or art.

My students know a new center will be opened as their behavior and ability to follow the rules continue. I also let my students choose which fun station they want to open next.

Clean or Close

I can not and will not clean up after 20 students. It is not my job to be their mothers {not that I clean up after my own 5-year-old… I do not.} I make it known, if you don’t clean up a center then it will be closed tomorrow. It is amazing how clean they can make a station if they really want to play it tomorrow.

Positive Praise

When your students ROCK center time, PRAISE THEM. And they will do an awesome job, so act like they just won The Noble Peace Prize. Even if everything is going crazy, pick the one thing you loved seeing, and praise it. You will see more of it.

Let Them Play

Have you noticed all my centers have been play centers? Yep. You have to let them play. Play is how they learn.

I start center time off with only play centers. They can play with math manipulatives and learning items but PLAY should be in their classroom. I always start to add “work centers” around the third or fourth week of school. Try to make the activities fun and interactive so they never mind going to them.

I also give my class 6 workstations a week but buffer them with FUN centers so my class can and does PLAY every day.

If you need some ideas for centers, I do a weekly blog post dedicated to centers called

CENTER SATURDAY

Need some more help for Center Success?