An office area...for little ones!

There I was sitting in the daycare, allowing to be gently rocked by the sound of the light snores echoing through the room. I looked around, wondering what I could possibly add to my daycare. I am always searching for the next best thing to keep my group happy. My thoughts travelled back to when I was their age.

What kind of games and activities did I enjoy? I was not a very "motor" child. I preferred role play games. I would play school, store, mommy...Looking at the children, I realized that their free play was filled with invented stories. In my role play area, I had a dressing table which included a few rundown items. I decided to get rid of it the moment the group wakes up!

I transformed my role play area into an office. I found an old keyboard and calculator, a telephone, pens, receipt booklets, small notebooks, a stapler (without staples), paper, business cards, etc. I gathered absolutely everything I could think of which related to office work. My search included a trip to the Dollar store where I found an impressive array of small items to complete my area. I added a table and small chairs. Once I was done, the group reviewed the content of the area. In less than two minutes, they had decided it was a waiting room. The first day, we did not do any of the activities I had planned because they played non-stop. Since, they are always in this corner of the daycare. I have observed them and have found that they expand each of the five spheres of development by playing in this corner. They socialize, they learn to wait for their turn, they create scenarios, they develop their handwriting and vocabulary...

Furthermore, several parents provided me with a variety of items from their workplace. They were eager to contribute to the area because they saw how much their children enjoyed it. Of course, children still have fun in the "traditional" areas such as the kitchen, construction, and dress-up corners. This experience has however encouraged me to develop out of the ordinary corners for them.

I'll let you in on a secret. My group will soon have its very own veterinarian clinic! As soon as I feel their interest in the office area lessen, the area will be transformed into a veterinarian clinic. Pretending to be a veterinarian was another one of my favourite games as a child...

Magalie Lebrun

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