In Singapore, preschool refers to any institution that is providing early childhood education services. A childcare centre might offer a different type of early childhood education from kindergarten, but both of them are under the category of preschool.
Either kindergarten, childcare centre or any preschool, children spent lots of learning times and playtimes at there. As a learning environment, space must be RESPONSIVE to the needs of children as well as to the FLEXIBILITY of the educators. Have you ever thought about the role of the facilities in preschool play in early childhood education?
Do you know there are some must-have facilities in preschool that can help to build a better learning environment? These five preschool facilities have proven their value in enhancing a better quality of learning environment. Let’s check them out!
5 Must-Have Facilities in Preschool For Better Learning Environment
Library
Libraries for children are essential preschool facilities for information and development. Either a library room or a small space that the children can use independently to browse books. In preschool, the library should be a kid-friendly place where children can go to read books, this facility helps to develop their READING HABITS since young.
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The library room or space should be an ORGANIZED and DEFINED SPACE for children to sit and read.
There are some comfy elements you can add to the space such as lamps, curtains, chairs, beanbags and etc. Design a comfortable area for reading, can make your students more likely to spend time in the library.
The kid’s library plays an important role in creating a better quality of early childhood learning experience that help improve children’s language and vocabulary development.
Creative Area
There are so many ways for children to explore and be creative. The creative area in a preschool classroom is a place where your little children can go creatively in drawing, expressing and playing.
It doesn’t have to be a specific drawing area or learning area, but it’s a place for the children to HAVE FUN and LEARN at the same time. It’s a place where they can choose to do what they love, it helps develop their interest too!
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Give the children plenty of time, materials and space for play. Children love to be spontaneous in their creative activities. Prepare a creative area to show the children that there are lots of activities they can do in one room.
For example, prepare the materials that can be homemade, recycled and natural materials including colouring pencils, clay, leaves, newspaper to stimulate play and imagination. So the children can choose to draw a person, do crafting by using recycled materials, build a house by using clay and etc. This lets children know they can develop their own ideas.
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In this case, the creative area may include a drawing area, dramatic play area, leggo building area, clay playing area and etc. It’s one of the important facilities in preschool to have, designing a room or a space to let children have fun together.
Open Space Classroom
Open space classroom is a trendy concept of the 21st-century school environment including preschool. A traditional classroom design with the teacher speaking in a fixed position at the front of the class is boring and dull. Asking little children to sit in their fixed position and listen to the teacher for a long time is like a mission impossible.
That’s why an open space classroom offers students to have a great deal of FREEDOM in the classroom while learning. Open-plan environments are believed to be less authoritarian and achieve better children’s social development. It’s a concept that promotes the sharing of skills amongst teachers and students.
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However, the biggest cons of open space classrooms are that they are noisy. Children are trying to focus in a noisy environment. The ceiling, partitions, furniture and other absorbing materials should be taken into considerations when designing the classroom. It is possible to achieve excellent acoustics in open-plan learning environments with a great childcare renovation.
Outdoor Playing Area
If you are a parent, you probably learned that your kids tend to pay more attention to screen time than they do to outdoor play. The outdoor playing area is always on the must-have facilities in the preschool list!
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Outdoor play helps improve children’s physical development. When the preschool provides the space for the children to run, bike and jump, these activities strengthen their bodies and improve their body coordination.
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Besides those activities, think about active play. Design an area that encourages active play and sensory play. The playground might be common outdoor equipment in a preschool but there are more equipment and facilities we can think about. Consult a childcare designer would definitely help with that!
Nature Corner
Nowadays, you can see there are some nature-based preschools that provide nature-based early childhood education (NbECE). This type of education program is where learning occurs in the context of NATURE.
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This learning program is aimed to increase children’s connection with nature and utilize its benefits for educational development. A nature corner helps foster children’s curiosity, exploration, and patience.
It is highly recommended to install a NATURE CORNER in the kindergarten as one of the facilities in preschool. Teachers can involve children by starting caring for the garden and teach them how to safely take care of and grow the plants. It’s important to teach the next generation as they are the guardians of the world’s natural resources.
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Create a playful garden with us and introduce children to the joys of nature.
Decisions on preschool design are not made simply. There is multiple consideration including layout, safety, aesthetic, facilities and educational effectiveness.
Looking for a good plan design for your kindergarten? Our experts are ready to assist you!
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