Learning centers encourage children to play independently. Young children often become overly dependent upon the adults in their lives. Play centers require the child to explore and complete projects with minimal assistance. This independence is crucial for future learning experiences.
Learning centers promote social skills development. As children play together, they learn the rules for social interaction from one another. This social interaction requires the use of communication, and particularly language. As children interact, they learn how to use language to explain their wants and needs to each other. Furthermore, children with speech or language deficits will emulate children with more advanced verbal skills, thereby improving their language development. Children also learn how to behave appropriately by imitating the behavior of others.
Children must learn to be flexible when engaged in learning centers. They must learn to negotiate for toys and objects. They must use different materials within the centers. If a center becomes full or an object is removed, children must learn to change their plans and choose other activities. Flexibility is not an easy concept for children, and for some, learning center experiences may be their first opportunity to practice flexibility.
From a teacher's perspective, learning centers provide a way to organize learning materials and activities. Centers offer a way to keep messy materials, such as paint, in a confined area. This protects books and other materials from damage while allowing children to enjoy artistic pursuits. Centers can be a practical way to separate children who do not play well together, and to encourage shy children to make friends.
Perhaps the most important feature of learning centers is how motivating and engaging centers are to children. Hands-on learning activities in play centers are much more engaging than passive learning experiences. The more a child is engaged in the learning process, the more meaningful the learning will be, and the more the child will retain.
Learning centers allow children to explore a topic through a variety of different media. Children can listen to a story, act it out in a dramatic play center, paint a picture of the characters involved, and build a scene from the story with blocks. These activities involve all the senses and deepen the children's comprehension of the story through social interaction and independent activity.