Circle time

[charlotte1001]

Hi all wanted some ideas on circle time, every morning after free-play we tidy up and have some circle time, we go round the group normally in a circle and say good-morning, then sometimes we do some singing or what did you have for breakfast and dinner or do at the weekend but its getting abit the same all the time. Does anyone have any other ideas of what we could do?

Many thanks

[ray]

We have a Talking Ted!!! Each child gets to hold the Ted and tell the group one thing!!! When you start they will all stay the same thing but eventually they branch out to their own ideas. We also use this time to let the children self register, one room uses photos. The children pick their picture or name and mount it on a board with Velcro. You could also use the opportunity to do some counting. How many boys, girls? How many altogether? You could look at any work the children have done? Talk about what you have been doing as a topic or theme? Ask the children what activities do they enjoy the most? Hope these pointers might help you get some ideas?

[friend]

Hi,
Previously I've done the following

have a tambourine. sing whats your name, tap your name pass the drum around the ring and tap your name. child then taps their name on the drum saying out loud their name.

have a number of wooden/plastic animals and begin to describe one animal at a time, without saying what the animal is. e.g. this animal lives on a farm, it has four legs, it has a long tail, it eats grass, it gives us milk etc. see how quick the children can guess what animal you're talking about.

give each child a coloured card ask them if they can find an object of that colour and bring it back to the group.

[charlotte1001]

Thank you these ideas are great and i will try and introduce some of these next week.
What do you do at your setting to get to know a new child who has just recently started at your setting?
( Me and one other collegue at my setting have a group of 15 3-4year olds a day (the children vary, some arent in everyday), and i feel i dont really know the children as well as i could, any fun ideas how i could change this ) altogether i suppose we have about 25 different children who visit our setting over the week that i should know more about. I know things like; name, age, brothers and sisters, interests e.g. transformers etc. But i dont really know what their favourite activity to do at nursery is? etc.

[nettie]

Bring this into circle time with have this at start of session were children have blocks with names on. sing welcome song , count the children boys and girls. on a friday we let the children choose what there would like out to play with giving you a idea of there favourite activities.
sometime we will start a story then go round the cirle and each child adds a bit on this can be fun.

[pabpeb]

We play a game called 'Bug in rug'
The children sit in circle with a space in the middle. One child has to turn away while another child is chosen to hide under a rug (blanket) in the middle. The child turned away now returns to the group and the children sing "Bug in a rug, Bug in a rug, whose that bug under the rug?" The children in the circle then take turns to give the guesser clues i.e it's a girl, she has long hair, she has brown hair, she is wearing red shoes etc etc. The guesser can also ask questions. For younger children you have to model the questions but 4yr olds really love this game.
Paulene