Furnish a corner of the room with colorful bookshelves at child level. Stock the shelves with age-appropriate books. Every two weeks switch out featured books that have a different theme, such as animals, seasons or sharing.
Stencil the alphabet in bold colors on the walls surrounding the area to decorate the space.
Place bright-colored bean bag chairs for the children to sit on as they read. Have one or two comfortable adult chairs for the teacher to use while she reads to the children. Place carpet squares or an area rug in the designated corner.
Purchase books on tape or record stories on tape. Have a tape player and earphones available so kids can look at the books independently while listening to the recordings.
Create a puppet stage if space allows. Dramatizing books through puppet shows will encourage an interest in storytelling.
Furnish the area with cubbies and containers for supplies, such as posterboard, paint, brushes, markers, felt and glue.
Decorate the space with bordered bulletin boards ready to display the students' artwork.
Place long art tables to accommodate all the students as they do craft projects. Have colorful tile flooring that stimulates creativity and is easy to clean.
Decorate the walls with posters of fruits and vegetables to nurture conversations about healthy eating.
Furnish the space with a toy stove, microwave and refrigerator to make pretend snacks. If your space allows, include real appliances for preparing snacks and child-height counters with enough space for the students to work together.
Prepare a kid-friendly recipe for every day of the week, such as cookies, nachos or banana pops. Post a picture of the snack of the day.
Decorate the walls of a free play area with appliqué murals of animals, flowers or other appropriate themes. Lay indoor-outdoor grass turf for the flooring. Stock bins and toy boxes with toy cars, building blocks and other construction play toys.
Design the outside play area with water tables, sand tables, swings/slides, riding toys and interactive panels. Put up a shade awning over the area to protect the children from the sun.
Section off a portion of a parking area for age-appropriate riding toys.
Decorate the space with reflective poster paper or a full-length mirror so the kids can see their creations. Hang hooks on the wall to hold dress-up clothes. Don't limit the selection to typical costumes -- add capes, lab coats and fireman uniforms.
Stock baskets with hard hats, helmets, scarves, jewelry, shoes and other accessories.
Fill bins with props such as wands, microscopes, toy swords and other items to bring the fantasy to life.