Learning Center Design Plan # 1

Learning Center: Fine Motor Students Name: Rebecca Leibiger
1. Current Skills, Abilities and Interests: What
current skills, abilities and interests do the children in
your room have that you will build off of (be very
specific)? What have you OBSERVED about children in
the room (or what data has been collected) that makes
you think this center design is a good fit?
INTERESTS: The older infants have been grasping the fine
motor toys in the infant room. Some of the younger infants
have been manipulating textured toys. The younger infants
have been taste testing the textured toys.
Week to be Implemented in
classroom:
Week of February 6-10
2. WMELS Addressed: What skills do children need to
develop next (based on what you wrote in Box 1)?
What are your objectives for child learning when they
play in this center? Identify 2-3 WMELS that will be
addressed through play in this center.
Health and Physical Development, Motor Development,
Performance Standard: B.EL. 1a Moves with strength, control,
balance, coordination, locomotion, and endurance,
Developmental Continuum: Manipulates objects with hands.

Health and Physical Development, Motor Development,

ABILITIES/SKILLS: The younger infants are able to: bring their Performance Standard: B.EL. 2 Exhibits eye-hand coordination,
hands to their mouths and possibly taste test on their own strength, control, and object manipulation, Developmental
hands or fingers, and move their arms together and apart. In Continuum: Reaches for and grasps objects.
the classroom, the older infants are able to: grab onto objects
within their reach, prop themselves up on their arms when
laying on their tummy, and pass objects from one hand to the
other hand.

3. A. Materials & Physical Set Up: What materials and/or activities will you include in the center to enhance, or
improve upon what is already there? Provide a specific and detailed list to receive full credit. Include a list of
materials and a brief explanation of WHY you chose to add them.

In the infant classroom, there is currently one bucket of fine motor manipulative toys that is kept on the semi-wall in the
classroom. Next to a semi-wall in the classroom, there are two fisher-price deluxe music mobile gyms. The infants are able to
watch the spinning mobile, and there are jungle noises in the background. Infants are able to have tummy time under the
mobile. The infant room has two Fisher-Price Bouncers that have mobiles hanging from the back. In the infant room, there are
two exersaucers that encourage fine motor development.

To improve fine motor development within the infant classroom, Youngstar stated that fine motor must include: a variety of fine
 Learning Center Design Plan # 1
motor materials, grasping toys, busy boxes, nested cups, and textured toys. The nesting cups are in the rotation of fine motor
toys. In the infant classroom, three-four varied items will be implemented. In the infant classroom, the busy box has fine motor
manipulative that the infants have the ability to grasp and move. At least, there will be five fine motor items that will be
accessible daily to the infants. An additional one fine motor toy will be implemented because there are more than five children
in the classroom. In the infant room, there are three baskets that include fine motor toys. Within the three baskets, there are
enough fine motor toys that each infant is at least allowed one fine motor toy.

Materials Added:
Busy Board
Nesting Cups
Soft fine motor rattles
Grasping Toys
Teething toys

B. Child Guidance - Direct and/or Indirect:

Before the infants have the ability to play with the new fine motor toys, the teachers will introduce the new fine motor toys to
the infants. The infants will be place on their tummies, and the teachers will distribute the fine motor toys to the infants. Each
teacher will discuss the fine motor toys to the infants in simple sentences. The infants will be shown how the nesting cups work
as well as the busy box. As the classroom teacher, I will be wary of the fine motor toys being played with. The toys that
become taste tested will be removed and placed in the bleach bin.

4. Explain how each of the following is facilitated through your center design:

Initiative, Engagement Reasoning, Planning & Differentiated Instruction

(including social
interaction) & Persistence
The infants will have the
ability to take initiative with
Problem Solving
Since the fine motor learning
center is designed to be child
focused with teacher
Essential Objective: The infants must be able to have basic
fine motor skills such as grasping onto objects and passing
objects from one hand to the other hand.

teacher assistance by having
fine motor toy choices. They
can choose: what kind of fine
motor toy to use, whether
they want to stand or sit up,
who they want to parallel play
by, when they will stop
playing with the fine motor
toy. The choices will keep the
infants engaged. Infants will
have the ability to engage in
parallel play to encourage
social interactions.
Learning Center Design Plan # 1
assistance, the infants will be Expected Objective: The infants will use their fine motor
able to access the fine motor skills to grasp objects within their reach and bring their
toys easily. The fine motor hands to their mouth.
toys are all within the infants
reach, which should help with Enhanced Objective: The infants will use their fine motor
distribution of the toys. skills to grasp objects to manipulate the object with their
hands and reaches for and grasps with hands. Some infants
may even begin to pinch objects.

Cooperating Teacher Feedback/Comments (Please circle the best response):

Design plan was turned in and discussed the week prior to implementation. Y
N

Recommended changes were made. Y N

You were provided with a CLEAN copy of the design plan at the time of implementation. Y
N

Design was developmentally appropriate and contained engaging, novel & motivating materials. Y
N
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Design plan reflects good effort and a great deal of thought on the part of the student. Y
N

Student considered the abilities and needs of the children in the design. Y
N

Comments:

Signature of Cooperating Teacher ________________________________________________________________________________________

Student Reflection:

This design worked well because

In the infant room, the fine motor toys are spread out more evenly among the classroom for easier access to the
infants. The fine motor toys promote development for the growing minds of the infants. Some of the older
infants are beginning to crawl and walk, which means that they need more room to develop. The older fine motor
toys have been moved for the older infants to access away from the younger infants. Infants that are younger
have greater access to fine motor toys that will assist development. Teachers have the ability to assist the
infants that are in the beginning stages of grasping.

The design would be more successful next time if

If there were more space in the infant room, then there would be more range to furnish the infant room. In the
infant room, there would be more ability to diverse the fine motor toys between the older and younger infants. I
feel that the older infants should have more room to explore fine motor toys. In the infant room, there should be
more division between the older and younger infants fine motor toys because there are moments when the older
infants are toppling over the younger infants.
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WCTC Supervising Instructor Evaluation & Feedback:

0-10 points awarded for each criteria (total 50):

Design is based on current skills/abilities of the children ____

Design reflects a high degree of critical thought. ____

Design included new, meaningful, motivating and/or engaging materials ____

Student was prepared and met all timelines (including making changes). ____

Self-reflection section is complete, detailed & reflective. ____

Total Score /50