As a preschool teacher/ owner I do not have a lot of extra money to play around with every 2 months when my kids grow weary of a center. So what do I do? I look around the house for odds and ends that I can blend into a fun play area for my preschool kiddos.
This center cost me 4 dollars 😉 I had some stuffed animals laying around and found some pics from the web. I bought two doctor sets and two baskets from the dollar tree to add some realism in the children’s play. Every kid loves to play doctor.
For the sensory table I used some stickers and clothespins I had in my class and spent a dollar at the dollar tree for the coin wrappers to encourage the kids to look at everyday objects for shape fitting… (ex.) circle stickers of small or medium size can fit into coin wrapper. Simple but effective sensory area for small kiddos.
This area was made with a little help from my older daughter. She was growing out of some clothes so instead of donating them I borrowed them for a laundry center. Had some extra clothespins and string in my classroom for a laundry line and presto….laundry center;) This helps the kids with sorting clothes by what kind of clothing, size, and color. Also helps with fine motor because they are working to hang them on the line with the clothespins.
I hope this helps others to not only find things for achieving the center goals but also does not cost a fortune to setup.
Preschool Teacher By Day 