Pre-kindergarten children are developing pre-academic skills, so their classroom should provide rich experiences with basic literacy, numeracy, science and social studies. Provide a wide array of books and change them frequently. Offer tools for developing phonemic awareness, like plastic and magnetic letters. Include groups of items to be counted, sorted, matched and categorized. Teachers will also want basic science supplies, including sand/water tables, magnets, mirrors, flashlights, pets and so forth. A calendar, weather manipulatives, music and examples of items from other cultures will round out any social studies curriculum. Decorate with posters and artwork that reinforce the skills being taught, such as letter posters, maps or thematic bulletin board displays.
Fine motor development is another focus in pre-kindergarten classrooms. For this reason, the classroom environment should be rich in craft and art supplies. Easels, paints, clay and dough, crayons, markers, chalk and pencils should all be readily available. Pre-k children need to work with scissors, glue and colored paper, crepe paper, tissue paper and many other art and craft supplies. Projects that involve cutting, pasting, folding and tearing will help children build fine motor skills essential for later writing and other tasks. In addition, peg boards, lacing cards and other classic preschool activities can help children develop fine motor skills.
Young children need avenues to develop gross motor skills. A pre-kindergarten classroom should include opportunities to jump, climb, crawl and build large muscle control. Teachers could choose from indoor climbing equipment, children's versions of active games such as bowling, ring toss or golf, dance music, scooters, balls and similar supplies. Large area rugs with shapes, colors, numbers or letters can provide controlled large muscle movement and practice with following directions.
Interest centers to be used during free or play times are important for pre-kindergarten children. Supplies for these areas include kitchen, household and dress-up items, miniature woodworking tools and other role-playing items. Puppets and a stage or costumes can encourage dramatic play. It is important to include classic wooden blocks and a wide array of construction materials such as interconnecting blocks, large cardboard bricks and so forth, as well. Miniature play sets that depict community life, such as police stations, stores and medical offices, encourage role play and career exploration.