Should young children raise their hands?
To answer the question, “Should young children raise their hands?” the best place to start is by taking a look at what happens when they do raise their hands. Raising
The tendency is to think that the main focus of circletime (or large group time) should be for giving instruction or for teaching. However, the real focus of circletime is to build a strong sense of community.
Circletime is used to do routine activities like the “helper of the day,” games, music, movement, and story telling but along the way, it is important to mindful of how circletime is helping everyone get to know each other and work together to have a great experience.
Here are some examples of what circletime looks like...
How much time should you plan to spend in circle time?
At the beginning of every school year, I am often asked, “How much time should I plan to spend in circle time?” My quick answer is always the same: Circle
I cannot sit crisscross-applesauce with my hands in my lap
For the life of me, I cannot sit crisscross-applesauce with my hands in my lap. My legs were not designed to bend in sharp angles and I always move my
Six crazy cool ways to explore with snow inside the classroom
The weather here has been all over the place from well below freezing to beautiful blankets of snow. I am not a fan of the freezing but the snow…. well
The invisible candy cane stripes
A fun story and activity to explore candy canes in preschool! I want to tell you about how Ms. Lauren introduced the children to their very own invisible candy canes
What is the difference between interruptions and interactions?
When a preschooler speaks out during circletime, is that an interruption or an interaction? Stick with me on this post for the next few minutes and then decide for yourself! When
Say goodbye to calendar time!
How you can be intentional using developmentally appropriate morning routines I know – calendar time is a tradition. It’s something you’ve probably always done. It’s something that you just never want
Please pass the orange
With the winter days still around, it is nice to bring a little color into the classroom right now. This past week we have been exploring oranges and we definitely had
It must be tummy time!
I want my group times to be all about building community and in my mind, building community is all about being close together, being engaged in the process, being aware of each other as needed, and making any necessary adjustments as we go along.
Ten little caterpillars in a jar
We read the book “Ten Little Caterpillars” by Bill Martin Jr. then enjoyed a little counting and patterning of our own ten little caterpillars!
Question of the day
Exploring the process of asking the “Question of the Day” in my preschool classroom!
What can you find in a people house? Exploring with Dr. Seuss
We read the Dr. Seuss book “In a People House” and then spent time exploring things you can find in a people house all around our preschool classroom.
Cotton ball clouds
We recently spent a few days exploring different types of weather. We also focused a great deal on raindrops and clouds. This simple activity that I would like to share
Whooooo is missing?
Our children just love story book games! We read a story during circle time and then often follow it up with some sort of learning activity or game. We’ve played
Simple shape games on the felt board
The kinds of games we play with the felt board are not all that complicated and all I really need are just a few bight and colorful felt pieces and I have everyone’s attention.
Drawing and story telling with a purple crayon
While I read the classic tale of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” to my students, I invited them to tell me their own purple crayon story.
An octopus has eight legs and so do we!
When I told the children that they actually can have eight legs like an octopus, they told me that this could not be possible. So I had to show them that they could!
Sorting recyclables in preschool
We’re celebrating Earth Day! A great way to show that we care about the Earth is by recycling. See how we sorted recyclables in preschool.
10 tips for circletime in the preschool classroom
Today I want to share with you ten tips for making circletime an engaging and interesting experience in the preschool classroom.
Lemon drop painting
Surely there is nothing that could brighten a cold winter day more than lemon drop painting. Come and see how we brightened our day with Lemon Drop Painting and more!
Who stole the candy from the candy cane jar?
Playing our own rendition of Who Stole the Candy from the Candy Cane Jar?
DIY mouse shape dice game
Playing our own DIY Mouse Shapes Dice game in preschool as a large group and in free play!
Touch and Feel Scarecrows
We played a simple game to take a look at the textures of our scarecrows a little more closely in preschool!