What Are Some Good 1st Grade Easy To Make Centers?
I will be teaching 1st grade next school term. I am looking for ideas that can be stored in an individual plastic bag or shoe box.
I will be teaching 1st grade next school term. I am looking for ideas that can be stored in an individual plastic bag or shoe box.
Go to the http://www.proteacher.net website and find the First Grade Board. You’ll be amazed at the amount of information you can get from other first grade teachers!! It is my favorite website.
I found the Internet made an excellent center. Our math series had interactive activities and I would pull them up and watch my students wait in line to do math!
There are so many I don’t know where to start. I would start by making a list of the centers you would like to have ie: writing, letter and word, library, math, science, art …whatever. Then just start collecting things that you can put out at different centers. I am always collecting stuff for my art, math and science centers. Like fun pens and pencils and writing paper for writing. As for specific center ideas….there are too many for me to list. Scholastic sells a couple books on the subject, you can buy books at the teacher store that have things you can copy and then create (file folder games), and if you put centers in the yahoo search engine you will come up with tons of websites that have suggestions. I know this is all vague but I could go on for days if I started listing specifics. If you are looking for a specific suggestion or a list of centers I use in my room then email me. I”m glad to help. Good Luck in grade 1. It’s wonderful!!!
dramatic play kits
Post office
index cards
envelops
Alphabet center
• Collection of various papers
• Alphabet rubber stamps
• Alphabet stickers
• Washable ink pads
• Colored pencils
• Markers
• Patterned scissors
• Flexible rulers
Map Centers
• Maps of different states
• Brochures
• Traveling books
• Construction paper
• Colors
• Markers
• Stickers of traveling to paste on their maps
• Transportation shapes
Travel Time
• A large globe
• Magic carpet
• Fake Money
• Maps
• Travel magazines
• Suitcases
• Passports
• Sticker as they visit each area
• Clothing
• Cameras
• Postcards
• Binoculars
these are few ideas
Teaching Resource Center has a great catalog of things to buy but you can also use their catalog to get ideas of things to make
one of their best items are the Literacy Task Cards by Dorn and Soffos
A hint: if you are going to use shoe boxes, make sure they are the soft and flexible plastic kind, not cardboard or brittle plastic. Test the lids to make sure they are easily removable and replaceable.
Magnetic letters (with cookie sheets to stick them on) to spell out classmates’ names, word wall words, etc. Several sets per bag to accommodate repeating letters.
Floor puzzles (loose pieces in large plastic bags). It is harder to lose or bend big thick pieces and the finished product is more impressive. Color or symbol code puzzle pieces on the back in case different puzzles get mixed together.
Laminated file folders with instructions for different projects or assignments. They can be color coded for subjects or seasons. You can use the kind with pockets to provide writing paper or other materials needed.
Listening centers with headphones, book and small tape player.
My daughter was in the first grade this past year. Her teacher tried to create centers based on their reading selection for the week. They would write stories, create new endings, or write a letter to one of the characters. She had four centers and would focus on a different subject at each center. She used different colored tubs and folders for each center. Since the classroom was rather small the tubs were kept at each group and rotated from group to group during center time. The kids could find everything they needed for each activity in the tub. This system really seemed to work well for this classroom.