Directions for implementation:
1. Designate an area of your home or classroom as your "free choice" area. This step is crucial. If you don't have an established area it will likely turn into free choice headache plus (meaning some things will be for free choice but over time other things that you don't want used as free choice will likely start to show up there and/or it will get messy and ultimately it ruins the beauty of having free choice). The area can be any size you want. A corner of a room, a single shelf on a book case, a box kept in the same place in the same closet, etc. If you are at home and have a play room, designate part of the room for this, not the entire room.
*A point of clarification, this designated area is where you store the free choice activities, you can certainly have them use the materials wherever you would like.
2. Place one (yes one and ONLY one) free choice activity in that area (this is just to begin, you will add more later). If you start with more than one it won't work so well.. but I will explain later. I recommend starting with jigsaw puzzles, because they are inexpensive to purchase, easy to find, easy for children to do without guidance, you can find puzzles designed for any age and they are GREAT for development. My daughter has been doing puzzles since she was knee-high to a grasshopper.. he he... and she has gotten very good at them over time to the point of helping my husband and me with 500+ piece puzzles.
3. Take a picture of the free choice spot/area. Print off a copy of the picture (laminate it on cardstock if you can, if you can't, paste it on cardstock and either self-laminate with duct tape or put it inside a baggie). Then tape/tack/whatever it to your area. It needs to be in an area where the children can see it for they will use it as a guide every time they clean up so they know where to return the materials so the area stays organized.
4. Show the area to your children. This step is also crucial. If done well you won't have to re-teach this area over and over again. Have the children sit down in front of the area and tell them it is the new free choice area. Explain that when, and only when, you tell them they can have free choice time (feel free to name it whatever you want.. I have heard it called "self directed" "free time" "explore time" "discovery" etc. just find one term and always use the same term) they can come to this area and use the materials that are there. Explain that these are the only materials they can use during this time, that the materials will always be kept there, and that this is where the materials will be returned at the end of free choice. Show them the picture you took of the area and explain that you expect the area to look the same as in the picture after they have finished cleaning up from free choice EVERY time.
5. While they are still in the area give them directions as to how you want the children to use the puzzles (or whatever activity you have in that area). If you want them to be careful opening and closing boxes, tell them that and demonstrate how you want them to open and close them. Think through your expectations, share them with the children, and demonstrate them.
6. After you have set your ground rules, let the children use the materials. Once this is well established you now have free time of your own. However, for the first few "gos" I recommend finding something somewhat close to the children that you can do so you can still monitor their use of the materials. In doing so you can correct any behaviors immediately so they know the rules are set in stone.
7. Once their free time is up have the children practice putting the materials away the way you demonstrated. If they struggle to do it correctly, have them do it again. If they still don't do it right. Do it for them then have them do it again. (You can later put a timer or a clock in the area with the end time marked so they can see how much time they have... if you choose to do this, it CAN be shown and taught at any time. Just make sure you teach the children about it so they know how they can use it. Also... I always give my children a verbal warning a few minutes in advance so they can mentally prepare themselves for the end of free time and aren't surprised when it is over.)
8. Once you have success with the first activity (and I suggest doing it at least twice), add another activity. You will need to repeat *taking the picture of the area (if you add things that aren't in the picture the picture is useless), *teaching the children where the materials are kept in the area, *how to use the materials and *how to put the materials away correctly.
Puzzles, wooden building blocks, Lego's, K'Nex, Lincoln Logs and board games all work well for activity choices. Some people use sand and water trays. I think these types of messy activities are great for children to explore, but I don't use them for free choice because my view of free choice are activities that are easy to clean up.
Here are a few of links with specific items I have used that work well but there are thousands out there to choose from:
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