Successful Circle Times
A colleague once told me, "Circle time should only be as long as the most wiggly child can sit." For many preschoolers, that means that circle time is less than 10 minutes, especially at the beginning of the school year. So why bother?
Circle times are a time for community-building, meeting learning goals, social problem-solving, information sharing, and reflection. Circle time builds preschooler's ability to attend and regulate in a group, greet others considerately, pay attention to others, follow directions, wait their turn, communicate their thoughts, practice the up/down regulation of energy, work toward a common goal, feel a sense of belonging and trust, and have fun!
The Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting circle can be modified to be appropriate for preschool-aged children. Morning meetings happen every day shortly after children arrive. The 4 components of a morning meeting are:
Greeting: such as choosing a picture card of a friend to say good morning to, giving a pinky shake or fist bump to a neighbor, rolling a ball to a classmate and saying hello, or singing a Hello Song
Sharing: such as verbally sharing something important or in larger groups offering time for a partner share
Short, fast-paced group activity (often with movement): such as a song or fingerplay with movement, a touch and feel box, or a quick game such as Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button
Morning message from the teacher: introduction to the materials available at centers, an announcement of a special activity, or a change to the schedule
In a preschool classroom, where children have shorter attention spans, you might not be able to accomplish all of these in a single circle. However, you can come together 2-3 times over the course of the day formally and informally.
Teachers can also use circle time to focus children on their own learning. For example, a teacher might say, "I noticed that yesterday Joe and Penny were building barns in the block area. I've added some farm animals and pictures of barns to the blocks. I have a camera to document what you build today." The following day, the teacher might say, "Here are some pictures of the barns that Gilbert and Rose built yesterday. Rose, can you tell us one thing about your structure? I remember when we read Iggy Peck, Architect and I have some graph paper at the table for anyone who would like to design and plan their barn structure with me after circle." On a subsequent day, the teacher might show pictures of those plans and invite additional children to participate. The learning might be extended to a provocation with other kinds of building/engineering or develop into an inquiry about farms and food.
Think about your circle time.
How can you use circle time to build community? Whose voices are you hearing during circle time? How does circle time prepare children for their day? How does it help them to feel valued in the classroom? How does it help them to connect with adults and peers and solve social problems? How does it build ownership over their learning and responsibility for the classroom? How does circle time incorporate children's family and home lives?
What are the routines, rituals, and expectations? When do you hold your circle time(s) and what do the transitions look like? Have you taught the expectations of circle time and is the structure/length predictable? What activities, signals and materials are consistent? Do you require children to sit during circle time - and where? How can you adapt the routines/environment to include everyone?
Are children engaged the whole time? How long is circle time? How fun is it? How much individual and group choice is available? Do children need more movement? Can you move some of your circle time activities into small group learning?
What are your learning goals for circle time? How does circle time set the tone for other learning throughout the day? How well does it align with children's interests? Are you stuck in a rut with calendar time and the weather? How does it help children to process and reflect on their own learning? How can you use circle time activities and conversations as documentation of children's thinking and learning?
How organized are circle times? Are teachers prepared in advance? Do all adults know their role in circle time? What props, books, or supplies are needed nearby? Are your materials ready and accessible?
Dig Deeper:
Mindful Morning Meetings by Ariel Vallano (NAEYC)
What Goes Around Comes Around: Building a Community of Learners through Circle Times (older NAEYC article)
Democratic Discipline: Children Creating Solutions (another older NAEYC article)
Focusing Children on Learning Goals (15 minute in-service) from ECKLC
The Morning Meeting Book and other resources from Responsive Classroom (note: because this is a K-8th model, some activities will not be developmentally appropriate for preschoolers, but the ideas are helpful!)
Supporting Initiative and Curiosity in Preschoolers (webinar) from ECLKC
