Children are naturally born curious and love exploring the world around them. Be it at home or outside, you've seen their peculiar eyes constantly searching for something new. That's why parents and teachers need to help them experience as many newer things as possible at a young age.
Children learn faster between the ages of three and six years and that's why some preschools and kindergartens create a discovery corner preschool kids love to engage with.
A discovery corner is an innovative way to engage in STEM activities and you can take a leaf out of the school's methods and create one at home too.
From learning about objects, nature, animals and more, there are so many topics to explore in a discovery corner, especially with home-based learning underway.
To make things easy for you, we have compiled 11 discovery corner preschool ideas that can be applied at home as well.
11 Discovery Corner Preschool Ideas You Can Try At Home
1. 5 Senses corner
What is it
Teach your child about their own body with the help of a discovery corner and you can begin with the five senses - sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.
How to create this discovery corner
Stick pictures of the different body parts on a wall or a board. You can use images of eyes, ears, nose hands, and tongue that signify each of the five senses. You can also place objects against each of the body parts to make the correlation more effective.
For instance, keep a ball in front of the eyes, or chocolate in front of the tongue. Similarly, a flower in front against the image of the nose.
You need to label everything to show where items belong. This makes it easier for children to identify different parts and place things correctly. The idea is to make the place an interactive learning experience and kids are immediately able to correlate between the object and the sensory organ.
Some of the things you will need to create this are chart paper, printed images of the sensory organs, and household objects that double up as your display items.
Create the discovery corner as a wall or a table, which can also double up as your child's activity area in the house.
2. Farmland at home corner
What is it
Farm life can be fascinating for children especially when growing up in a metropolitan like Singapore.
There are so many things you can teach them through a discovery corner right from planting and harvesting, to the use of different machines used as well as animal husbandry.
How to create this discovery corner
Add pictures, potted plants, and even create a diorama replicating the farm life in your child's room. You can also place farm books and even models of a tractor for your kid to be more excited.
You can also create a cattle farm using toy animals and add name tags to each animal to further educate your little one about the different animals that live on a farm.
Also, try getting seeds, corn kernels, and hay from the store to further educate your child about the farm. You can teach them about how their favourite popcorn comes from kernels. Just one of the many examples of how raw food looks like.
3. Nature-friendly corner
What is it
Have a backyard or outdoor space that you can use? Try creating a discovery corner there for your child. Themed around nature, you keep samples of different soil, rocks, and even grow plants.
This will also be a more interactive experience for your child once you involve them in the gardening process.
How to create this discovery corner
Kids will love the outdoorsy learning experience with more touch and feel-based learning happening. Ask your kids to gather samples including rocks, twigs, leaves, and even flowers from around the garden.
Place them on the discovery corner and ask them to observe the different patterns on each of the objects. You can also get a miniature science kit with a magnifying glass that can be used to see the patterns clearly.
4. Light corner
What is it
Kids are fascinated by lights and shadows and what better way to experience this but by implementing it in the discovery corner.
How to create this discovery corner
Explore prisms, rainbows and different effects of light. Try making your own kaleidoscope using mirrored sheets, cardboard, glue, scissors and some pieces of gemstones.
You can also place a torch and let kids discover how shadows work and the fun things you can create out of your hands against the light.
For older children, you can add the concept of a solar and lunar eclipse, using simple objects and a light source.
5. Magnets corner
What is it
Magnets attract (pun intended) children and adults alike with the number of possibilities they show. Teach your kids about magnetism and how it works using magnets and other metal objects lying around the house.
How to create this discovery corner
Set up a magnet knowledge centre of sorts in your little discovery corner. Store small metallic objects in different jars and let your kids remove the objects from the jar using a magnet.
Doing this requires concentration, focus and effort - all of which are great learning tools for your child.
6. Recycling corner
What is it
A habit we all need to inculcate in kids right from a young age and a discover corner is just the right place to do it.
How to create this discovery corner
Create different jars to show items that can be recycled and what can't be. Encourage kids to segregate things that can be recycled in different jars at the discovery corner.
You can create your own 'marble run' using left-over tissue paper cardboard tubes. How about using old CDs and sticking them together to create a new wall-hanging. The idea is to turn your trash into a cool recycling project.
7. Alphabet corner
What is it
Teach your kids the alphabet using the discovery corner. Use images against every letter that will help them identify it faster.
How to create this discovery corner
Teach kids basic maths like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You can make this a more practical experience by having toys or similar fun items coinciding with each problem.
Add 10 pencils to four pens, and the kids can actually try it out on the discovery corner. Similarly, create match the object with the right letter.
So, the apple starts with A, and the kids need to place the object against the letter on the wall. Print out different images of objects for each letter every week, to make it a challenge.
8. Moral Science corner
What is it
A discovery corner can also be a great way to teach your kids about the good and bad aspects of life.
How to create this discovery corner
Create two portions of the wall - the green side comprises all the good values, while the red side includes things that need to be avoided. Give kids the freedom of choice and ask them why they chose the same.
9. Blocks together corner
What is it
Blocks and LEGOs remain a favourite among and allow them to expand their creative horizon. Create a discovery area for the kids to play and build using blocks, while also adding the storage options there themselves.
How to create this discovery corner
Make sure the discovery corner is on a hard surface that makes things easy to build for kids. It also requires the space to a little open and distraction-free for others in the household.
Make sure to bring blocks of different sizes for your kids to really try out this space like creating a tower, solving puzzles, and even block bowling, which will see the kids knock out a tower of blocks using a ball.
10. Art And Craft corner
What is it
Let the creative juices flow freely with the kids using the discovery corner to paint their imagination.
How to create this discovery corner
Let the wall turn into a canvas and be surprised with the gems your child is able to create. Alternately, let them have fun with the colouring book with a desk and chair, and have their own corner of peace.
Kids good with crafts will also appreciate the cardboard, glue, scissors and painting supplies to make the most of their creative abilities.
11. DIY corner
What is it
And finally, nothing like a Do-It-Yourself discovery corner. Make it a display area of everything that your child discovers and is exciting about.
How to create this discovery corner
Think of it as a 'show corner' in your home that resonates with your child alone. It will be a display area for things that your child discovers around the house that they are particularly happy about.
Hope these ideas will help you create a fun discovery corner for your preschooler.
ALSO READ:
Is Your Toddler Ready For Preschool? 5 Unexpected Costs To Budget For
7 Fun Activities That Teach Your Preschoolers About Money