Successful Preschool Circle
Time Fun Activities for Kids
Preschool
circle time is when all
the children sit together as a group in a circle. It
usually takes place in the morning a little bit after short
morning free play. Use circle time to introduce a topic,
discuss social
situations and connect as a group.
How
long is circle time?
It can vary from 15 to 30 minutes depending on the maturity of
the children and their interest.
Success
depends on:
Being
prepared - have more activities than you can cover. Go
over your lesson plans. Keep in mind the following questions:
What is leading your lesson for today?
What would you like the children to know by the end of circle
time?
Variety
of activities - Circle time should include: Songs, games
and movement. By keeping Multiple Intelligences Theory in
mind your will reach more children.
For example:
- Begin
with a song about the letter B. (Music Smart)
- Use
a paper chart to brainstorm words that begin with B. (Picture Smart)
- Trace
the letter B in the air with your hand. (Body Smart)
- Turn
your body into the letter B. (Body
Smart)
- In
partners - Give the children picture cards. They
need to sort the
pictures that begin
with the letter B. For children who are almost reading, give the word
on
a card instead of the picture. (People
Smart)
Everyone is actively engaged
- Break up the kids for a few minutes by giving them a task to do
in partners or small groups.
Here are some examples:
- Every
group has a color and they need to find 10 items in the room that are
the same color.
- "Turn
to your partner and tell them your parents' names and something special
that you like to do as a family." Ask the children to face the circle
again and ask partner A: "What did partner B share with you?"
I
was recently at a workshop and learned this great little trick:
Popsicle Trick - An easy way to make sure
that everyone is focused, listening and engaged.
Write the name of each child on a popsicle stick and put them
all
in a jar. The child that has their name pulled out has
a turn to talk, answer
the question or contribute to the discussion.
Be
Flexible
- There are days that you might have a great circle planned but instead
an incident occurred in class that needs to be addressed. Take the
opportunity to teach the children valuable life lessons and turn your
preschool circle time to circle
T.I.M.E.
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"A
teacher affects
eternity"
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