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Imaginative Play Center name ideas

  • 1.  Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-22-2022 06:29 AM

    Hi! I'm looking for a catchy/cute name for our imaginative play center in my pre-K classroom. The center contains a kitchen set, dress up carousel, and little storefront to name a few. I have been calling it "housekeeping," but I don't like how limiting that is. I also considered just "imaginative play," but I want the name to mean something to my students. 


    For example, the center where we have a doll house with miniatures and cars and trucks is called "Tiny Town."

    Thanks for any suggestions you might have!



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    Leah Coder
    Orchard Park Central School District
    East Aurora NY
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  • 2.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 12:11 AM
    You might want to ask the children what they think it could be called.  : )

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    Kathleen Fong
    Curriculum Specialist
    Partners in Development Foundation: Ka Pa'alana
    Kapolei HI
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 07:06 AM
    How about City Center or Urban Loft?

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    [Sheila] [Anderson]
    [Director]
    [St. Mary Catholic ]
    [Traverse City] [MI
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 07:29 AM
    Since you are in a public school setting, my thought was Home and Careers.  That is what my boys took when they were in 7th and 8th grade.

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    Kirsten Henderson
    Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center
    Eden NY
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 07:31 AM
    We call our kitchen/dress-up/storefront/farmers market dramatic play. We have discussions about what it means to be dramatic and have fun. Great vocabulary word. We have even had a make-shift stage to be performers and be dramatic.

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    Connie Herndon
    Director
    St. John's Early Literacy Preschool Ministry
    Anderson IN
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 07:47 AM
    With the curriculum I use I have to call it by the name in which it's called. In my program it's dramatic play. Even though that's also a terminology that the kids don't often understand. I have a tendency to call it home living but in reality it's dramatic play. So maybe look at your curriculum and see what that says.

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    Trisha Dart
    Owner/Teacher
    Little Ones Learning Preschool and Childcare
    Comstock Park, MI
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 08:14 AM
    I agree with having the children name it.  It's the best way to have it be meaningful to them.  You could introduce it during a group time and talk about the different ways the children use the are and the things in it, then brainstorm some ideas.  It becomes a literacy activity also if you list their names on a large piece of paper. It becomes a civics lesson if everyone votes on it.  And an activity that incorporates a lot of social skills and self-regulation skills as children listen to each other and wait for others to speak.  You might do it over two days so the ideas have time to marinate before the group makes their decision.  And you might need to plant the seed by suggesting a name or two to start them off.

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    Aren Stone
    she/her/hers
    Child Development Specialist
    The Early Years Project
    Cambridge, MA
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 08:33 AM
    While already stated by Ms. Fong, what a great opportunity for exploration and deep learning for the children to work individually, collaborate together, and come up with the center name.   What an amazing opportunity for deep learning by going through a process to solve a real life issue.  This process could be documented including questions the children and adults ask, how this experience evolves, the multitude of skills children are involved with through the process,  in addition to charting names, voting, and identifying how everyone's ideas are heard and contributed to the outcome.  Sharing the documentation with families and other stakeholders demonstrates how a high quality early childhood program impacts children's thinking, language, math, social skills (and more) through a democratic process.  Have fun!

    Margie Powell, M.S.
    S.P.A.R.K.  Childhood Teaching

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    Margie Powell
    Early Childhood Trainer & Coach
    S.P.A.R.K. Childhood Teaching
    Germantown MD
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 08:40 AM
    Have the students name it each year!

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    Deborah Musika
    Executive Director
    Montgomery County Partnership for Children
    Troy NC
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 10:48 AM
    Sounds like some good learning going on there!

    Maybe get a big appliance box to make a "Revolving Door Cafe." The kids could take it several diretions. Plus #Engineering.​

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    Laura Weilert
    Maker of Experiences, Owner
    that Science Fairy
    Colorado Spgs CO
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 11:05 AM
    I also think the use of the name "Pretend Place" or "Pretending Place" can be helpful to give the message to children and to adults that the cognitive and social skill of pretending is what we encourage there.  And it does not lock in a topic, but rather allows the "pretend about what" to vary --based on children's interests, based on areas of focus in class discussions, variations in props, follow-ups to field trips, etc.

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    Monica O'Gara
    Woodbine MD
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 04:51 PM
    How about...Imaginarium
    It's where students can imagine! They can be anything and do anything under the sea, well not the sea the aquarium. Welcome to the Imaginarium!  This can also be tied to culture, an aquarium has several different life forms in it and all that's in the aquarium are just as important as the next life form. Diversity in all forms!
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    Erica Dallas
    Program Director
    Temecula CA
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 05:02 PM
    Imaginarium! It's a blend of aquarium and imagination. In the Imaginarium students have the opportunity to be anything under the sea and above the sea! This can be linked to culture. In an aquarium, there are many lifeforms that keep the aquarium thriving and vibrant much like human life above the Sea! And in your play area students have the opportunity to be anything they want to be, they can imagine and this imagination takes them throughout life some of them turn their imagination into reality and others remember the experiences they had in your play center.

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    Erica Dallas
    Program Director
    Temecula CA
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    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-23-2022 05:27 PM
    I love the ideas about "Imaginarium." So clever-and with a great play philosophy behind it!

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    [Sheila] [Anderson]
    [Director]
    [St. Mary Catholic ]
    [Traverse City] [MI
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    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-24-2022 07:57 AM
    I think having the children think of different Ideas as a group, then taking a vote on what to call the area would work.  Then maybe it can change during the school year with the interest of the children.

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    Andrea Cox
    Assistant Teacher
    Housatonic Community College
    Bridgeport CT
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    Original Message


  • 16.  RE: Imaginative Play Center name ideas

    Posted 03-24-2022 10:37 AM
    We call our creative play area "PretendPlay"

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    Monica Sommer
    Director
    Greenwood Vlg CO
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    Original Message