ROOM ARRANGEMENT

Preschool Layout

Effects of Room Arrangement

• Influences how children act and learn– Prompts children to use materials– Easily accessible, inviting

• Children will be happy if the room is a welcoming place– Comfortable, pleasing to the eye, safe

• Children will act orderly if the room is orderly– Can be the cause of disruptive behavior

This is a Good Place to Be

• Furniture is clean, safe, and well maintained.

• Wall decorations are largely made up of children’s art displayed attractively at their eye level.

• Colorful decorations, plants, pillows are used

You Belong Here

• Personal cubby for each child

• Furniture is child sized

• Pictures, books, & learning materials with different ethnic & economic backgrounds & people with disabilities

This Is a Place You Can Trust

• There is a well defined schedule• Materials & toys are available• Materials labeled and easy to find

You Can Do Many Things On Your Own

• Materials are stored on low shelves so children can use materials on their own

• Materials are logically organized

• Shelves are labeled with pictures to show where things belong

You Can Get Away and Be By Yourself When You Need To

• Small, quiet areas for one or two children

• Large pillow or stuffed chair

• Headphones for individual listening

This Is a Safe Place to Explore and Try Out Your Ideas

• Protected and defined small areas for small group activities

• Smocks for art and water play to avoid fear of getting soiled

• Outdoor area is fenced in • Toys are rotated so there frequently is

something new to interest children

GUIDELINE

• Materials must be “Child Size”• Picture & Bulletin Boards should be at

child’s eye level• Organized & uncluttered• Keep learning centers separate from each

other• Everything must have a place• Create a sense of arrival and welcome

TRAFFIC FLOW

• Do not have large spaces for running• Fill outer edges, center is the pathway

– A square center is dead space– Irregular or rectangle easier to use

• Children in one center cannot reach children in another unit

• No need to walk through units to get to another

APPEARANCE

• Clean, neat and cheerful– Neatness

enhances learning

• Color can provide a cheerful atmosphere

EFFECT OF COLOR

• LIGHT BLUE• WHITE• LIGHT GREEN• YELLOW• ORANGE• RED• PURPLE

Clean, pure, frank, cool, youthful

Peaceful, refreshing, restful

Happy, cheerful

Welcoming, forceful, energetic

Welcoming, energetic, forceful, stimulating

Mournful

Comfortable, soothing, secure, tender

Question: What colors do you think would be best for A day care or preschool?

SAFETY

• Teachers must be able to see and supervise all areas of the room

• All materials must be safe and in working order• Outside doors need to be visible and locked to

the outside and to the children• Storage of hazardous materials must be locked

Planning Outdoor Environments

• Enough empty space• Broad, easily visible paths• Children in one unit cannot reach children in

another unit• No need to walk through play units to get to

another• No dead space• No blind space

Outdoor Play Area Problems

• Lack of shade• Northern exposures• Poor drainage• Broken equipment• Too few things and play space

Need for Complexity

• Provide opportunity to lengthen attention span and expand on play

• Make settings for children to meet each other and socialize

• More opportunities for choice

Activity: PRESCHOOL LAYOUT

Use the Lakeshore classroom designers and arrange the preschool to include:

1. Cubbies for children and sign in desk2. Eating/Art Area close to a sink (may be separate or

combined) should have enough seating for 15 children3. Dramatic play area4. Library/literacy center5. Circle time area with rug6. Science/math center7. Small Manipulative area with table8. Construction center9. Sensory table10. Music (space for music center may be combined with

circle time area as long as it has storage for appropriate materials)

11. Space to Lay out 15 Nap Mats