When you teach preschool you spend most of your day with busy children, free choice is ( or at least should be) the bulk of your day. That said there are likely times where you come together as a group with an overt adult agenda. For me and my class that is circle time, you may call it rug time, carpet time or class meeting even. The name doesn’t matter. It’s a time where teachers can lead group activities through direct instruction. Depending on your teaching style, student’s ages, curriculum parameters, and class, one teacher’s circle time can look very different from another’s.
Circle time should be different in every class because every class is different. I know in my experience circle time varies not only from year to year but from day to day. As preschool teachers, one of the most important abilities to have is the ability to change our plan on the go. If it’s not working you need to decide to try to save the activity or abandon it. Both are viable options.
Here are my tips for circle time and what to do when it’s JUST NOT WORKING.
Routine, routine, routine.
Routine makes young children feel safe and while we may be more easily bored by it, children crave it. Sticking to a routine doesn’t mean for example that you have to sing the same 4 songs after you do your calendar every day, but it does mean that you should sing something after calendar every day. Keeping to a general routine for your group time makes it predictable and lets children know what is expected of them. I listed this first because this is my weak spot, I get great new ideas in my head and think, well just today I’ll mess up the routine and then I pay for it. Stick to the routine and find other times to introduce something that would otherwise change the routine you have worked hard to create.
Make a circle time plan, then cut it in half (especially at the start of the year).
Circle time should be as short as possible. When I am getting to know my class, I keep circle time very short. Sitting still is hard for young children and instead of forcing them to do it, I set them up for success. When circle time is short and they sit and pay attention the whole time praise them for it. Continue this cycle of success by extending the time slowly over the year, but acknowledge those days when shorter is better like Halloween, any special event and the first day back after a break.
Get moving at circle time.
Sing songs with actions, get up and dance, and if you are doing a short group activity have children get up to participate. A little movement goes a long way.
Ignore the wiggles and give students enough space.
Ignoring wiggles can be tough because a really wiggly child can be super distracting. Try. A lot of kids need to wiggle. My students are so young I don’t worry about this at all. I will remind children if they are in somebody else’s space, I will space out our carpet mats so they aren’t too close but reminders aren’t kid proof. If a child is having a very hard time staying in their own space we offer them a new position to sit in, a lap or a new spot but still within the circle ( unless they choose to leave , we don’t make them leave). Choose your strategy and only allow behaviors that you plan to continue to allow, if sitting only one way is important to you then stick to it.
Get quieter to get their attention.
Nothing works better than leaning in and whispering. For larger classes, a good old stage whisper works well. My first-year teaching I lost my voice trying to holler over my class. It wasn’t effective at all and I quickly changed my strategy. I can’t imagine raising my voice now. This isn’t a strict circle time tip, but I use it when kids want to say something about the book all at once. A simple “If you are all speaking no one can hear the book” in a whisper usually does the trick.
Have a predictable transition to circle time.
We use quiet reading time with a basket of books after snack. In a previous school, circle time followed potty time and children who had already gone potty played with puzzles at circle until everyone had had their turn in the bathroom. You don’t need to use an independent activity but having a predictable routine going into circle time like a song you play or sing to signal it’s time to come together helps make for an easy transition.
What To Do When Circle Time is a FLOP?
If a child is running around or away from circle calmly bring them back to the circle. When this has happened to me I have praised the children who are sitting ” ___ you look ready for the circle !” instead of looking to the sitting kids and saying ” Don’t get up.” If you say that you can pretty much guarantee that some child who wasn’t even thinking of getting up now will. Keep it positive.
After praising those sitting I walk over to the child and calmly with a plain face say ” It’s time for circle.” and return them to the circle. If that fails to work and you do not have an assistant teacher who can be their buddy and help them succeed, then I would choose to ignore the child. Giving that one child so much attention at this point can backfire, prompting more disruption from other kids. Ignoring usually works beautifully.
If it’s not just one child but the class as a whole not paying attention, change the activity asap. Get up and dance, sing an action song like Head and Shoulders, or pretend to be animals. When the children participate in the new activity praise them for it but keep it short. Having a successful circle time doesn’t have to follow the plan exactly, or at all. Children want to please us (I know it doesn’t always seem like that, but they do) and giving them feedback when they do something we want them to continue doing is important.
Not all circle time activities will be huge hits but having realistic expectations, setting your students up for success, and not getting hung up on perfection yourself will go a long way to making it your favorite time of day at preschool!
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TeacherToo says
Great tips! Do you have any song recommendations for getting the wiggles out? I’d like to add some to my phone to use at circle time.
Allison McDonald says
I still love Head Shoulders Knees and Toes. Shake your sillies out is fun but usually gets my kids revved up. Another option is Open and Shut them!
Chelsea says
I also really love Goldfish and Drive My Car by Laurie Berkner! When I need to reel my 2’s back in to the carpet, I use those. They love them!
Ally says
I love “Shake My Sillies Out” with my kids. I omit one of the slower verses. The first version I heard had both “yawn my sleepies out” and “stretch my stretchies out” which was too much for my 2-3 year old group. They love having one slow verse, but their attention wandered with two. I just use the yawn verse and the rest of the verses are all very active. Lots of movement, lots of fun! It’s on youtube!
Ruth says
We like to play in the middle We all sit in a circle and clap and sing a child’s name And he follows the directions you give unto all get a turn. It goes like this Avery. Avery avery s in the middle let me see you jump.
Let me see you wiggle
Let me see you turn around
And sit back down
Nina says
Fantastic idea on using positive reinforcement to praise the behaving children! I’ve noticed that whenever I tell one of my twins not to do something, automatically the other one will do exactly what I just told the other one not to do. It’s like they’re testing if the rule applies to them too! :/
Allison McDonald says
That is exactly what they are testing out!
Sarah Cleasby says
Please remember that there will be children who don’t fit into the norm, and may not feel comfortable sitting in groups every day. These children should be allowed the freedom not to – every child develops differently.
Allison McDonald says
Absoluetly!
Joan Sandoval says
I loved your post on Circle time ideas for preschool. I have been a preschool teacher for almost 30 years now and I am going to Belize to be presenting a seminar on Circle Time in a the country’s first Preschool Conference (with Pathlight.org.) Anyway I have been following your blog for few years now and I love all that you do. Tonight I looked up to see if you did any blogs on Circle Time and I immediately felt validated on all that I put in my presentation. But if you don’t mind I am going to include some ideas you had for the time when the circle falls apart. I of course will give you credit and list your blog. I am a children’s book lover and I often look to your blog for your book lists. Thank you for all you do to encourage Teachers and Moms with your resources and never ending list of great ideas!
Kayla says
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I am a new preschool teacher with NO prior experience. I have been at such a lost trying to get my students to sit down. After reading this it makes me think about how in the time I take “trying” to correct one, I am allowing time for the others to follow the negative actions. I am going to think of this next time. Thank you so much I feel like there is a light at the end. lol.
Allison McDonald says
Kayla – circle time can be so hard for new teachers. I know it was for me starting out. Give yourself a break and know that it will get easier. I hope some of these tips help!
Cindy Copeland says
I am curious to get your opinion on this PreK schedule. It is given to us by our school district
Circle time 15 min
ELA whole group 30 minutes
ELA small group 20 minutes
Free choice centers 60 min
Math whole group 30 min.
Math small group 20 min.
HWT handwriting 15 min
Writing 30 min.
Outdoor play 30 min
Nap 60 min
Our day is 8:15 to 3:15 , we also have 20 min breakfast, 30 min lunch and 20 min. snack in there.
I’m not crazy about this schedule , we arrange the order how we want but the times for each part must be adhered to. Would love to know what you think
Thanks
Allison McDonald says
As far as a PreK from a district I really don’t think it’s too bad at all. I would love to see more outdoor play and maybe a break between the whole group and small group instructions. I think the key is to give kids the ability to move around, and even within those set times make choices. If you look at the NAEYC guide to developmentally appropriate practice you will see that moving around the room and the ability to make choices are big parts of it. so if you can incorporate that I think that’s huge. But I want to leave you with this quote I read in a text this week “…our most important teaching tool may not be a strategy or material but a stance of appreciation of children as interesting people with interesting things to share.” I don’t think that a schedule will make or break a good school experience but a intune teacher can. You sound like you are already thoughtful so I think that no matter what you have lucky students!
yvonne says
your ideas are good while reading it ,it has helped me thank you
Shawna says
Please help. I don’t know what to do when I’m going from one building to another and one of my ten three year olds decides to sit down on the sidewalk and won’t get up? We don’t have assistant teachers at our school. Each teacher is by herself.
Allison McDonald says
If this is the same child every time I would do a few things. 1. Give them many warnings about making the transition. 10 minutes before, 2 minutes before… I would also give them a role, either line leader or caboose. I’d lean towards line leader. If this isn’t possible give them something special to carry. Recognize that the child doesn’t want to make the transition and find ways to make that easier. Even a simple choice like ” Are you going to hold my hand or walk with the other children all the way to the next building.” can do wonders.
Tamryn says
Need some advice. I have experience with 4-5 year olds. Now I am in a class with 1.5 to 3 year olds. How do you get the little ones to stop crying. Its not even a cry its just a whine all day.
Marika says
Please I need some advice. I just started teaching 3year olds and have a class of 11 monkeys. I am on my own with no help. They are very active, will not stay still for a minute and pick on each other alot. My main concern is the line up before and after recess. I have 4 children wich will come when called but the rest either run off or go hiding. I tried everything… Giving stickers to those who listen, showing them videos of propper line up procedures, modeling in class, time out…. You name it, but every time I call them for line up they just run away. What can I do?
Laura Stokes says
What is the best way to get 2.5-3.5 years to learn how to walk to the playground in something that remotely resembles a line?
Allison McDonald says
I am so sorry I missed this – a walking rope is what I have always used, then we tell them it’s a train, and we spend a lot of time talking about infront and behind…
Tammy Scharf says
I’m in the front of our line, my assistant is in the back. Each student gets a “buddy” to hold hands with so you are basically managing 5 rows of children, instead of 10. This example is for a class of ten I find this works for the especially little ones.
Aniud Rellibor says
Need help! I am a mom of a 4 year old in the spectrum. He is being mainstream and doing very good, except for circle time. He has a one on one(BI), but the teacher makes the BI take him out for a “break” at the first wiggle. This is totally reinforcing his escape, so of course is happening more often. The total circle time at this class is about 25 to 30 min, he can attend 10 but now is less because he is getting reinforced for escaping. Is there an activity that I can suggest to help the teacher help my son, while being fair for the rest of the class?
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Suzie says
Thank you for such great advice. This is my first job as a Pre-school Room Leader in a private nursery. I’m working on improving circle time and bringing on circle time skills in my staff as well. I’m pleased to say we already do a few of your tips, so it fills me with confidence that I’m on the right track. We divide our group into two groups – under three year old children and over three year old children. this works well. I’ll certainly keep an eye out on your page for future tips thank you.