Giving Children's Choices

From: Julie Allen
Email: JulieA@Skip-A-Long.com
Date: June 05, 2008

Comments

I fully agree that children should be offered choices during the day as this allow for social skill building. While children are having choice time (which should not be ditacted by how many children can play in a center, nor how long a child should play in an interest center), teachers should observe the children and ask open ended questions. Teachers should also make suggestions that extend children's play and support their learning. A daily schedule is needed to establish the consistency that young children need, thus providing security which will allow the child to feel more secure. Our preschool classrooms have recently implmented a snack center which is totally a choice made by the child if they choose to have a snack or what to eat (from several choices) during the one hour of center choice time. The children have adapted to this very quickly and are developing positive social skills at the snack center. By the way, this snack is not part of the Child Care Food Program snack; it is a supplement, either in the morning or afternoon to the food program claimed snack at the other end of the day.