Community Helper Work Station
Children create a work station for the occupation of their choice.
Children create a work station for the occupation of their choice.
What you'll need
- boxes
- recyclables
- community helper props
- paper
- coloring tools
- books about helping occupations
Step by step
Step 1
Talk with children about occupations in which people have helping jobs. Invite children to create a work station for the occupation of their choice. Have them decide on the occupation as a group, or consider offering materials to create more than one. Provide a variety of boxes, recyclables, and props the children may be able to use to create safety vehicles, a dental/medical office or waiting room, or a police/fire station. Provide books about various occupations so the children can refer to the illustrations if needed.
Step 2
As they work, talk about the occupation they chose. What kind of building would the workers need? What do the workers do there? Encourage children to use their imaginations when creating props for the area. For instance, a jump rope can serve as a fire hose or bulletin board paper wrapped around a set of chairs can serve as a car. The children may use unconventional items to serve as props as well. This shows ingenuity and flexibility!
Step 3
Provide paper and coloring tools so the children may draw pictures to add to their work stations. Encourage them to play in the area, pretending to be community helpers who help keep citizens safe and healthy!
Learning outcomes
Creative Arts
Dramatic Play and Imagination
Participates in creative dramatic play and make believe across learning domains
Shows growing creativity and imagination in assuming different roles in play situations across learning domains; demonstrates understanding of difference between pretend and reality
Uses or makes props to represent another object (pretends a box is a boat); acts out familiar roles (teachers, doctors)
Uses props in increasingly creative ways in dramatic play (molds playdough to represent a phone)
Social-Emotional Development
Trust and Relationships
Interacts with one or more children; develops special friendships; participates in group song, dance, acting/role-play; uses play to explore and practice social roles and relationships; seeks and accepts adult help to solve conflicts with peers
Begins to participate as a member of a group; takes turns and shares; sustains interaction by helping, cooperating, expressing interest; plays cooperatively with others; resolves some conflicts, uses constructive language; offers and seeks help from peers
Physical Development and Health
Fine Motor Development
Refines wrist and finger movements for more control (pours without spilling from small container, successful with some fasteners on clothing, folds paper, manipulates playdough and clay)
Uses small, precise hand movements to complete tasks (fastens clothing, folds paper with accuracy and symmetry; begins attempting to tie shoes, uses a dominant hand)
Demonstrates growing hand-eye coordination (strings beads, completes multi-piece puzzles, uses lacing cards, tears paper, uses a keyboard); uses eating utensils with ease
Demonstrates more precise hand-eye coordination (uses connecting blocks, small pop beads, Lego bricks, forms playdough into more recognizable shapes, builds more intricate block structures, weaves)
Uses tools requiring small muscle dexterity (crayons, markers, scissors to cut straight lines, etc.)
Uses tools that require strength and dexterity of small muscles with moderate control (holds scissors correctly to cut shapes and curved lines; controls use of writing, drawing, art tools, and art/craft media; uses spray bottles, paper punch)
Approaches to Learning
Curiosity, Initiative, and Risk-Taking
Shows a willingness to participate; shows eagerness to join play events, experiments, and exploring activities; tries new activities independently
Welcomes play experiences and shows creativity and inventiveness; demonstrates inquisitiveness about subjects and objects
Approaches to Learning
Creative Thinking, Problem-Solving, Reasoning
Generates ideas and suggestions in play situations; creates imaginative stories and begins to attempt joke telling
Participates creatively in play situations; creates and acts out imaginative stories/scenarios; changes words in sentences to employ humor; may use humor to amuse others to build friendships; tells/repeats simple jokes that make sense
Begins to think problems through, considering possibilities with adult assistance; makes a simple plan and follows through with adult reminders
Uses new strategies to solve a problem; generates ideas and selects/explains best solution; makes a plan before beginning a task and follows through