When furniture takes on a new role-Chairs

When furniture takes on a new role-Chairs

There is at least one thing that is present in all areas of our daycare: furniture! At the very least, we all have tables, chairs, and storage cabinets.

This time around, let's explore different ways to make use of the chairs you have in your daycare.

Chairs can easily be transformed into different means of transportation:

• Several chairs placed one behind the other become a train.
• Two chairs placed side by side can become a car, a taxi, or a truck. Simply provide a paper plate to represent a steering wheel.
• Several rows of two chairs can represent a bus or an airplane.
• Children can sit backwards on a single chair to pretend they are on a motorcycle.
• Depending on your theme, chairs can be used to represent a variety of means of transportation such as a police car, an ambulance, a fire truck, a delivery truck, etc. Sometimes, a small thematic item (flashing light, fireman helmet, etc.) is all you need to encourage children to use their imagination.

Chairs can also be used to represent different types of seats:

• Two chairs that are facing each other can become a long chair. Children will enjoy pretending they are at the beach.
• A few chairs lined up next to each other can represent a hospital bed for a little patient, Papa Bear's bed, or Sleeping Beauty's bed.
• A few chairs placed close together can also become a dentist's chair, a doctor's table, or a small bed. Children will surprise you with their ideas.
• If you lay the back of a chair on the floor, children will love to use it as a beach chair.

Chairs can also be used as part of your daily activities:

• They can be used for a simple game of musical chairs.
• They can be used to create a tunnel, just line them up and encourage children to crawl between the chair legs. You can even choose to drape blankets over the chairs to create a tunnel children will love to crawl through "in the dark". Using blue blankets can make creating a tunnel under water possible while the use of green blankets can represent a tunnel in the forest.
• Arrange chairs in a circle to pretend you are singing songs around a campfire.
• With supervision, a chair can also be used to represent a diving board to jump in a pretend swimming pool or an obstacle that children must climb over or crawl under as part of an obstacle course. Be sure to give clear and precise instructions before starting this activity to avoid accidents.

Have fun using chairs for a wide range of activities. Rainy days sometimes feel as if they will never end. They are ideal for exploring different activities involving chairs and having fun with your group.

Caroline Allard

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