Circle Time/Group Time
Offers myriad opportunities to develop language & literacy: reading stories (if a book is not
working out, set it down, there is no rule you have to finish it) expressively; singing songs;
reciting poems (music/rhyme helps retention); calendar; numbers, share time (be sure to
“manage” share time in such a way that the children loose interest / that you loose their
“listening”)
• number concepts: quantity, enumeration (counting)
• word recognition: name cards are a good starting place
• socialization: taking turns, listening skills
• fine motor: finger plays
• large motor: movement activities
• visual discrimination: shape, color, letter, animal etc identification
Teach auditory discrimination: different types of bells, rattles; loud & soft; fast &
slow; “t’ sound. “s’ sound, “ch” sound
Discussion can occur during circle time
: talk about field trips, talk about projects; about
issues relevant for children, use flannel boards & pocket charts as stimulus
LET THE Children TALK LISTEN when children are speaking Your actions
model appropriate social behavior
Select books
for class that are free of gender, racial, economic biases - if a book does, then
talk about it w/the children: LET THE CHILDREN GIVE THEIR OPINIONS
• Vocabulary development: introduce new words, new concepts to children
during circle time. Use the appropriate vocabulary in your speaking. Children learn
vocabulary & meaning from hearing it contextually. If a child misspeaks, don’t
correct them; respond by using the appropriate vocabulary & grammar.
• Social Values & Cultural Values: you MUST model appropriate behaviors, your
actions teach more than your words; discuss behavior with open-ended questions:
“What do you think would be the right action to take if someone hit you, your friend,
took a toy away, ran out into the street...etc.
• Use interactive activities: felt board, velcro apron, activities that allow children
to have a “special moment “ of participation. ALWAYS be sure all children have had
a turn before you call on a child a second time.
Smooth Flow-start circle time even if everyone hasn’t come yet: if someone is late, greet
them w/happiness: if they feel welcome & safe they will come & join in. Circle time should
move at a comfortable, interesting pace: if something doesn’t work out: HAVE BACK UP
ACTIVITIES
Close w/ a song; or some ritual activity: good bye song, dismiss by colors etc
Circle Time Behavior Management: Keep material at age appropriate level of
difficulty
Work that is too hard makes people go away mentally
• Smaller groups usually behave better
• Keep material interesting & fun If there is a generally disruptive child have “perp”
sit next to you & be a helper
• Mention child’s name & look at her (not harshly, to remind her)
• Time out w/adult supervision
Keep your expectations of children appropriate:
• Young children have high energy
• Want attention
• Usually want to be recognized individually
• Want to please:
Be patient: catch children being good
One kind word is worth 100 reprimands
• Children are quite responsive to praise-praise is a reinforcer for good behavior
General Areas of Learning
When planning any activity, including circle time, consider the 5 domains of learning.
When you consider the learning goals before you present an activity, the possibility of
achieving those goals is measurably increased.
Physical / Motor Development / Learning:
Gross Motor Skills: using the large muscles of the arms, legs, and torso: balance,
rhythm, walking, laterality; jumping; hopping; throwing; tumbling; running, dancing:
development and coordination of large muscles
Fine Motor Skills: using the small muscles of the hand and fingers: tactile
discrimination (see below), cutting; drawing shapes; holding a pencil/crayon; pouring
liquid; throwing a ball accurately; writing
Hand-Eye Coordination: coordinating visual acuity with using the small muscles of the
hand and fingers: cutting; drawing shapes; holding a pencil/crayon; pouring liquid;
throwing a ball accurately; writing; use of mouse (computers)
Physical Principals: learning physical weight; stability; equilibrium; balance; leverage
Sensory Discrimination including:
Tactile Discrimination (touch): identifying and differentiating textures with touch: soft,
hard, rough, smooth, sticky, slippery
Auditory Discrimination (hearing): identifying sounds: loud / soft; high / l ow pitch;
fast / slow rhythms; comparing sounds using auditory receptors
Visual Discrimination (sight): identifying shapes; colors; sizes; recognizing various
objects visually
Oral Discrimination (taste): identifying sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tastes; identifying
textures with tongue and mouth; identifying flavors by taste
Olfactory Discrimination (smell): identifying different smells: sweet, spicy; pungent,
floral, unpleasant odors
Social Development / Learning
Sharing
Taking turns: learning patience / learning to be comfortable with delayed gratification
Working cooperatively with others in a group
Following directions
Respecting others as individuals (behaving appropriately with others): making
and maintaining relationships / ongoing friendships, behaving appropriately in social
situations, learning the general rules of courtesy (manners) for their family and school,
developing the ability to participate in conversation, learning table manners
Self Respect: learning to value themselves, recognizing their strengths and weaknesses,
loving themselves for who they are as they are
Social Boundaries: understanding that just as others have a right to accept or refuse the
attentions of others, so they also have that right
Safety practices and appropriate behavior in emergency situations: fire,
earthquake, natural disasters; dealing with strangers; what behaviors are safe and not safe,
e.g.: running in the parking lot, wearing bike helmets, wearing close toed shoes to school,
etc.
Emotional Development / Learning
Learning to identify and express emotions appropriately
Naming human feelings: sad, happy, angry, hurt, loving, excited, afraid, proud, sorry
“Use your words”: expressing feelings of upset and anger appropriately
Stress management: learning stress management strategies in a non-stressful
environment will empower children to better manage stress throughout their lives
Appropriate affection: showing feelings of affection with respect for the recipient’s
willingness to accept demonstrative actions
Nurturing: developing and expressing feelings of appropriate care and gentleness
Creative Expression
Expressing emotions through use of creative media and imagination: painting,
drawing, play dough / clay, music, movement, dance, construction, dramatization, writing,
story telling
Developing aesthetic appreciation for arts, books, drama, music, puppetry, theatrical
events, movement, and nature
Cognitive Learning
Language Arts: language development, letter recognition, name recognition, emergent
writing; story recall
Math Skills: conservation of quantity, conservation of length, number recognition,
associating numbers with quantity, sorting for one or more properties (algebra),
recognizing shapes and three dimensional shapes (geometry)
Social Studies:
Help children identify what makes people similar and different: recognizing that different
does not mean bad. Accepting the diversity of people: types of families, cultures, race ,
languages, gender, differently abled, economic status, age
Planning
As you plan, you will want to refine the area of learning you target specifically. The
more specific you are about the value you want the children to get from an activity, the
easier it will be for you to develop a presentation that will successfully produce the result
you are seeking. Often the children will acquire unexpected learning from any activity you
present. That is fine. Should a child learn something else entirely is fine too. If you are
mindful of that which you intend for the children to learn, you will develop a good aim, and
will have the satisfying hitting the targeted result you intend.
Teach auditory discrimination: different types of bells, rattles; loud & soft; fast & slow;
“t’ sound. “s’ sound, “ch” sound
Within group time there are lots of opportunities to develop language & literacy: reading
stories (if a book is not working out, set it down, there is no rule you have to finish it)
expressively; singing songs; reciting poems (music/rhyme helps retention); calendar;
numbers, share time (be sure to “manage” share time in such a way that the children lose
interest / that you lose their “listening”), number concepts: quantity, enumeration
(counting),word recognition: name cards are a good starting place,socialization: taking
turns, listening skills,fine motor: finger plays,large motor: movement activities,visual
discrimination: shape, color, letter, animal etc identification
In learning, process is more important than product.
Months
English Espanol Francaise Deutch
January Enero Janvier Januar
February Febrero Fevrier Februar
March Marzo Mars Marz
April Abril Avril April
May Mayo Mai Mai
June Junio Juin Juni
July Julio Juillet Juli
August Agosto Aout August
September Septiembre Septembre
September
October Octubre Octobre Oktober
November Noviembre Novembre
November
December Diciembre Decembre
Dezember
Days
Monday lunes Lundi Montag
Tuesday martes Mardi Dienstag
Wednesday miércoles Mecredi
Mittwoch
Thursday jueves Jeudi
Donnerstag
Friday viernes Vendredi Freitag
Saturday sabado Samedi Samstag
Sunday domingo Dimanche Sonntag
Numbers
zero zero zero null
one uno un, une eins
two dos deux zwei
three tres trois drei
four cuatro quatre vier
five cinco cinq fünf
six seis six sechs
seven siete sept sieben
eight ocho huit acht
nine nueve neuf neun
ten diez dix zehn
eleven once onze elf
twelve doce douze zwølf
thirteen trece treize dreizehn
forteen catorce quatorze veirzehn
fifteen quince quinze fünfzehn
sixteen dieciseis seize sechzehn
seventeen diecisiete dixsept siebzehn
eighteen dieciocho dixhuit achtzeh
nineteen diecinueve dixneuf
neunzehn
twenty veinte vingt zwanzig
thirty treinta trente dreizig
forty cuarenta quarante vierzig
fifty cincuenta cinquante fünfzig
hundred cien cent(e) hundert
thousand mil mille tausend