Today we're going to discuss exactly what to do during circle time, step-by-step. These are some of my favorite tips and tricks to keep young children engaged and focused.
Hello and welcome back to another exciting episode of Elevating Early Childhood. I'm your host, Vanessa, and today we're diving into one of the most magical parts of the preschool day, circle time.
Now, I know all my busy preschool and pre K teachers out there are always looking for ways to make circle time more fun, engaging, and most importantly, more meaningful for your little learners.
So, today we're going to chat about what exactly to do during circle time, and I'll share some of my favorite tips and tricks to keep your littles engaged and focused. Ready? Let's get started.
So, first things first, let's talk about the big question that's always on every teacher's mind, and that is, how long should circle time be? I mean, you've got a room full of wiggly little kids. How do you keep them sitting and engaged without losing their attention?
Well, here's the thing. The general rule of thumb with circle time is two to three minutes per year of the child's age. So if you're teaching a class of three year olds, circle time should be around six to eight minutes, right?
And for four year olds, you're looking at more like eight to 12 minutes. I like to think of that as eight minutes at the beginning of the year with four year olds working up to the 12 minute range. So keeping it short and sweet is key to maintaining their interest. But it's not just about the length of time. It's about how you fill that time, right?
One of my favorite ways to start circle time is with a fun and memorable chant to transition the kids. Imagine this, you're gathering your students together for circle time, they're full of energy, and suddenly, you start a chant like this.
So here is a mock up of a daily schedule that I've created for you. Your schedule probably looks a lot different. That's okay. So what I mean when we start with a chant is I have my visual picture schedule displayed in my circle time area large enough so every student in the class can see. I'm going to take the clip. I like to use the word clip instead of clothespin in the beginning of the year and We're going to sing the chant and it goes a little something like this.
"Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na. Hey, hey, hey, circle time." Or in this case, morning meeting. And I clip the clothespin to that particular thing on the chart, right? So I usually have this displayed in a pocket chart. It's amazing how a little chant can grab their attention and bring them all together. Ready and excited for what comes next.
But just signaling the start of circle time with a chant isn't enough. You'll need to teach them exactly what to do when they come to the carpet. Will they run and then slide onto the rug like they're stealing first base? Do they do somersaults and donkey kicks? Of course not. That's not what you want.
You want them to be calm and not cause more chaos, right? Are they going to grab a carpet square or a cushion to sit on? Are they going to sit in a particular spot? You need to think about all of these things. But whichever method you choose, you'll need to specifically teach them this procedure.
Okay, so now that you've got them all together, what's next? That's easy, a welcome or hello song, of course. This is a great way to signal that circle time is officially beginning. I love using a song that's repetitive and easy to learn. Something that becomes a familiar cue for the kids. So, my favorite song to use as a hello or good morning song is Rise and Shine by Dr. Jean And you can find that song I believe at her website, drjean.org, and I'm going to give you a little sample of what it sounds like. So I created this book to go along with it. And the song goes a little bit like this, " Rise and shine and welcome to school today, rise and shine and welcome to school today. We're so glad you're here."
And here's a little extra magic I like to sprinkle in. I use a book with pictures of all the students to accompany the welcome song. This is just a little book that I created with paper and pictures, right? It's a sweet way to make each child feel seen and included. Imagine their little faces lighting up when they see their own picture in the book.
Pure joy. And then each time we get to that "we're so glad you're here" part, we turn the page in our book that I made and we say hello to this particular student. So I have a page for each student. I've inserted their little photo here and I've written the words " Welcome Jackson," right? So everyone turns and waves to Jackson while we're singing the song. The trick about this is if you have a lot of kids in your class, you're going to have to get really good at turning those pages quick. And then we would sing again. And then this time we would wave and smile at Ariana, right? "Rise and shine, and welcome to school today. Rise and shine, and welcome to school today. We're so glad you're here, Ariana." So it goes on like that. Now that's not the exact song, but you can listen to the full one at drjean.org.
Now, after our welcome song, it's time to review the daily schedule. This step is so important because when kids know what's coming next, they feel safe, secure and confident.
You can go over the activities that are planned for the day. Be sure to use visuals like a picture schedule chart to help them understand the flow of the day better. It will also minimize tears in the beginning of the year, right?
Now we're ready for one of my absolute favorite parts of circle time and that is the read aloud. But before we dive into a book, I like to use a class puppet to ask a fun question. This helps activate their prior knowledge, gets them thinking and talking. Kids love talking to the puppet and it's a great way to build a connection and engage their curiosity.
Okay, now it is time for somebody to come out and ask us some questions. Do you know who that might be? That is right! It's Sammy the Seal! Here he is! Yay! Sammy, how are you today? Oh, you know , what I can't hear what Sammy's trying to say because he needs to have a lot of quiet, right? Because he speaks very quietly and then he talks to me and I can't hear him. So, what do you need to do? Oh! That's right. You need to be quiet so that we can hear what Sammy has to say. Okay, Sammy, go ahead. Sammy said he's been having a great day. He's been sunning himself on the beach and swimming around in the ocean. And he has a few questions to ask you about something that we're going to be reading about today.
That's good, Sammy. Let me ask the kids, alright? Sammy wants to know what you like about fall. Right, Sammy? Alright, he's going to listen to a few of you give your answers. Ready? I know I'm looking for children who are showing me that they are ready to talk to Sammy. Right. That means you have your hand in the air.
You're looking up here. Your lips are quiet. That's right. So I just listened to a few responses and then we move on.
Then, when it's time to read the book, don't forget to point out the author and the illustrator's names, right? There are two chants I like to use for this. So here is the book that we're gonna be reading today and it's all about tree, or trees. The title of this book is Tree. What do you think happens to a tree in the fall? Have you noticed? Yeah, I wonder if Sammy was trying to tell us something with his question. Right? That's right. The leaves fall down. That's right. Oh, and this is the title.
What's this down here? This is the author's name. And the author of this book is Britta Teckentrup. So let's sing the author song. Ready? The author writes the words, the author writes the words. Heigh, ho, did you know the author writes the words?
And now let's look for the illustrator's name. I don't see it here, but sometimes you have to look inside. Ah, that's right. This is one of those special books where the author is also the illustrator. Wow, she's really talented. And what do we know about illustrators? They draw the pictures. That's right. So let's sing about Britta Teckentrup as an illustrator. The illustrator draws the pictures. The illustrator draws the pictures. heigh, ho, did you know the illustrator draws the pictures? It's just a simple reminder for your kids of how books work.
While reading, you might want to point out some ways that kids can interact with the text by inviting them into the story. "Now it's cooler all around. Apples tumble to the ground. " It's starting to get cooler. What does that mean? Yeah, it's kind of like cold, right? It's getting a little cool out there. So what do we need to wear when it gets cool? Mm hmm. We should probably start wearing a jacket if it's cool outside, right? Yeah. Can you pretend to put on your jacket? Yep. There you go. Get one arm in and the other arm. There you go.
And then this one, this sentence here says " The apples tumble to the ground." What does tumble mean? Have you ever heard that word before? Oh, you haven't. Let's try it together. Tumble, right? That means for something to fall down. But usually something that's going to go round and round. So let's pretend that we're tumbling, our apples are tumbling. That's right.
So I'm going to read this page again and you can put on your cooler coat for cooler weather and your apples can tumble to the ground. Ready? "Now it's cooler all around. Apples tumble to the ground. That's right."
Now, after we've read our book, at the very end, I always like to say these two words, The end. And then I close the book with a thump if I can, if it's a hardcover book. You won't believe how many of my students would start saying the end at the end of every single story, and with their parents at home as well.
Now, here's where we can really get those kids moving and grooving with a fun and attention grabbing song about the topic we just read, right? So for example, if we just read a book about fall and leaves, we might sing autumn leaves are falling down to the tune of London Bridge. "Autumn leaves are falling down. Falling down, falling down, autumn leaves are falling down, yellow, orange, and red."
I like to use props that each student can hold that tie into the song, that invites them to participate actively. So for example, I might just print out large pictures of yellow, orange, and red leaves. That's completely enough. Print one for each child, laminate, and pass them out to your students, and then they hold them up when their color is called during the song. Involving them in this way keeps them engaged. Plus, it's just plain fun.
Now finally, if time allows, why not play a fun game? So games like Hide and Seek in a pocket chart, where kids look for alphabet letters and numbers that are hiding, or a classic game like Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? These are fantastic ways to reinforce concepts and keep your students focused.
They're also a great way to work on social skills. Like taking turns and following directions. But it doesn't have to be done during circle time. If you've run out of time, you can do one of these games at a different time of the day.
Now it's time to signal the end of our circle time, right? So we sing our chant again and move the clip on our daily schedule chart down to the next activity. "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey. Center time." This helps the kids know that circle time has ended and we're preparing them for what comes next.
Now you may have noticed that I didn't do the calendar, weather, number, shape, color, or letter of the day, days of the week, or months of the year. And there is a very good reason for that, which I will explain in a future podcast episode.
You also may be wondering why I didn't use a gimmick like a doorbell to signal the transition. And I'm going to be brutally honest with you here. The doorbell is just a fad and that's all it is. Why would I use a doorbell to signal a transition and rob my students of the opportunity to practice rhyming, oral language, fluency, and so much more?
If there is a choice to be made between using a gimmick or using a song or a chant in the early childhood classroom. The songs and chants should always be your top priority in preschool and pre k. Full stop, period, right?
So, there you have it. Circle time doesn't have to be a struggle. With a little planning and a whole lot of heart, it can be one of the most enjoyable parts of your day and theirs.
So, if you loved today's episode, be sure to smash that subscribe button or follow on your favorite podcast app so you'll be notified whenever there's a new episode.
Until next time,
I'm Vanessa Levin,
Onward and Upward!
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