Independent Centers and Activities for Distance Learning

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I absolutely love center time (and so do my kids)! There is so much learning that happens during centers, both academically and socially. And while independent centers and activities for distance learning may look very different, they can still be amazing and fruitful for your students with these resources.

*For support and success with independent centers during distance learning, grab our Box Centers and Digital Games BUNDLES!

Check out these resources to make your independent centers and activities for distance learning amazing and fruitful in Pre-K & Kindergarten!

Independent Centers and Activities for Distance Learning

Centers are a time for students to practice important math and literacy skills. Obviously during distance learning, centers will look a lot different.

During center time in a regular school year, you would see students flowing in and out of center activities, engaged with their peers and working at their own pace. And while they cannot do this now, they can still have choice in their independent centers and activities for distance learning at home

Let’s remember, independent centers are a time for students to practice skills we’ve already learned. I wouldn’t put an activity into centers that we haven’t already gone over together in a regular school year. This is especially true while distance learning.

Luckily, I have some great resources to help you and your students have successful, meaningful centers during distance learning.

Digital Learning

Digital games are a great resource for independent center time. Students can work at their own pace and play a variety of math and literacy games online. Plus there are no supplies for you to worry about!

Our Bundle of Digital Games is the perfect option for your digital center needs. The games are easy to play, engaging for your students, and are a great way to practice important math and literacy skills.

You can easily assign these digital learning games in Google Classroom™, Seesaw™, or simply send the link to your students.

You can assign specific games that work on the skills you want your students to practice, and there are a variety of math and literacy skills available.

Types of activities you will find in the Bundle of Digital Games are:

  • Letters & Sounds
  • CVC & CVCe Words
  • Blends & Digraphs
  • Sight Words
  • Rhyming
  • Numbers & Counting
  • Shapes & Patterns
  • Graphing & Measurement
  • Addition
  • Subtraction
The Digital Games Bundle covers a variety of math and literacy skills is easy to assign!

You can assign games easily in Google Classroom™ or Seesaw™. Or if you don’t use a learning management system, you can simply send your students the link to play the games.

Hands-On Activities

You don’t want your students in front of a screen all day long, and it is still important that they work with crayons, pencils, scissors, and glue to build fine motor skills. So you should aim to have a mix of hands-on and digital activities for independent learning time.

We need to be sure that even though digital learning is fun and less prep than hands-on activities, during distance learning we do not want to neglect their other motor skill development.

It would be a great idea to include activities for your students like coloring, tracing, writing, cutting, manipulating objects, etc. This is important for their motor development, and it gives their eyes a break from that bright screen.

Because our students are at home, independent centers will take a little more thought and planning. Box Centers are a great solution for centers during distance learning because box centers use one set of manipulative cards for multiple games that work on important math and literacy skills.

Box centers use one set of manipulative cards for multiple games that work on important math and literacy skills.

Teachers and students are loving our Bundle of Box Centers. Not only do they love the themed and timely math and literacy activities provided for each month of the school year, but they also love how incredibly easy they are to set up and get to their students.

At-Home Success Kits

If you are able to send items home for your students, creating a Success Kit for Distance Learning would be a great way for students to engage in purposeful, hands-on learning at home! A Success Kit might include packets or envelopes of activities for independent center work and the needed manipulatives (counting bears, clothespins, stacking cubes, etc.) and materials for those activities.

A Success Kit might include packets  of activities for independent center work and the needed manipulatives and materials.

Try and think through how often you would like to send materials home. You certainly don’t want to make parents come to the school to pick up new materials each week, but putting supplies in a packet for several weeks to a month at a time could be helpful.

If you cannot send materials home physically, you can email materials to your parents for them to print as well.

Want unlimited access to even MORE of our activities and resources? Join us in the Print and Play Club!

Your planning will be so much easier with instant access to:

  • hundreds of printables
  • every TKC resource
  • video lessons
  • a digital games vault
  • Pre-K and TK Scope & Sequence
  • a PLAYlist of fun songs AND activities
  • professional development
  • additional teacher resources…
Want unlimited access to tons of activities and resources for Pre-K, TK, and Kindergarten? Join us in the Print and Play Club!

Be sure to request an invitation so that you don’t miss your chance to be part of the best early childhood club around!

The Kindergarten Connection
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