What Is Circle Time? Interesting Facts That Kids Should Know

Circle time is an activity, especially for young children, that helps them to form positive relationships with each other.

Circle time further enhances the listening skills of young children. Many primary schools have implemented circle times to help young children learn in a fun way.

Childhood is the time when kids develop their socialization skills and the importance of working in a group. Therefore, those early years are very important for the development of social skills in children. This method of learning has already started in the Kindergarten of US and UK, and there are plans of introducing them in secondary schools as well.

In a preschool setting, circle time is considered to be a good practice where the whole class participates, usually led by a teacher, and they participate in various fun activities like musical games, movement games, and various other relaxation activities. It is extremely beneficial, especially for children who might face difficulty in concentrating on things for a long period of time, and even for children who tend to get shy easily or fear talking in front of other people. The duration of the circle time also differs according to the age group of the children and the activities involved.

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What is circle time?

Circle time is a time typically meant for preschool children to help develop their socialization skills, learning ability, emotional skills, and talking ability. Jenny Mosley is the pioneer of this exclusive time, wherein children, led by a teacher, get involved in various fun activities. Circle time helps children learn to be independent and, at the same time, also helps them understand the importance of working in a team or group when the need arises.

Childhood is a crucial time for any child. It is the time when they develop most of their skills and also get to learn what type of person they want to be as adults. Therefore, with the right lessons and activities, they can be trained to be better citizens and, most importantly, all better human beings. Circle time has already been implemented in various schools in UK and USA. Although typically meant for preschool kids, circle time can also be effective for older children. For example, in Scotland, this method of learning is already prevalent among the preschool group of kids. There are further plans of implementing this in secondary schools too.

Circle involves various fun activities. It has proved to be a successful learning method for children, wherein they might be asked to speak, engage in a game, provide solutions to a particular problem, or simply listen to a story. Circle time helps children to learn how to respect adults, how to speak properly, how to develop emotional bonds with others, and most importantly, how to be a good listener.

What is the purpose of circle time?

Circle time is the time when children, along with a teacher, may form a circle and decide on activities they wish to take part in or simply listen to an interesting story the teacher reads.

The main purpose of circle time is to inculcate certain positive traits in a child that help them to be better individuals. If a child has difficulty concentrating on things for a long period of time, circle time is the right choice for them. It helps them form a sense of community and to develop sympathetic feelings towards people. Circle time should be done in such a manner that kids look forward to taking part. This can be achieved by introducing an interesting game or reading an interesting story or simply talking and sharing happy memories or experiences.

More and more children should be encouraged to participate and form a group, wherein they can boost their skills. Interesting topics can be introduced to them, or they can even just talk about the weather. Not only academically but physically too, it improves their learning capability, problem-solving potential, and various other skills required for their development. Circle times serve as very important resources required for the overall growth of a child.

What happens in circle time?

Circle time is a very important developmental activity, especially for kindergarten students. Jenny Mosley is considered to be the pioneer of this successful mechanism of interaction between the parents, teachers, and the children. The duration of the circle time is usually determined according to the age of the children, and the activities are decided on the basis of the time schedule allotted.

Circle time is the time when the whole class takes active participation in fun activities led by the teachers. Most of the circle time activities generally include fun games, sharing activities, musical games, and various other problem-solving activities. During circle time, a particular child might be asked to share some happy memories of themselves with the other students present in the class.

They may also be asked to participate in problem-solving activities, where the teachers give them a problem and ask the students to suggest ways of solving that particular problem. In this way, children develop their emotional skills as well as their understanding capability. They learn to develop sympathetic feelings towards their friends and families too. Circle time also includes activities where teachers read a story while the kids listen. It enhances their sense of concentration and encourages them to be more attentive while sitting.

How do you structure circle time?

The circle time structure is very important. Various sessions of the circle time are typically scheduled according to the age of the children, and so is the time duration. For example, for children falling below the age of three years, the circle time sessions usually last for 8-10 minutes. On the other hand, for children falling between the age group of three and a half to four years old or above, the duration lasts for 15 minutes.

The activities in the course are also determined according to the time schedule. The circle time strategies mostly include an opening activity, followed by a round session, a discussion time, and finally, a closing activity or game. The opening activity or game should involve something that encourages the children to join. It might be something of their choice and can also be something the teacher has prepared beforehand. Second, comes the round session.

During this time, a speaking object is used by the teacher, and the children are asked to say something on any given topic. The topic can be their favorite food, hobby, cartoon characters, and many other similar things. Each child is given their turn for talking, and the speaking object is placed on the hand of that particular child. When they have finished speaking their part, the speaking object is immediately transferred to the next person who wishes to speak. It is important to know that, during this session, no student should be forced to speak, and the particular teacher involved should also respect the wish of that particular child. After the completion of this round, they engage in discussion time.

The topic of discussion is usually determined by the teacher themselves. The teacher can present a problem and then ask the children to provide the appropriate solutions to that particular problem. Following this, circle time reaches its final stage, which is the closing activity, wherein the students might be asked to join in interesting games and also should be encouraged to implement the lessons they have learned in their personal lives.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for circle time then why not take a look at how to hold a pencil, or how to groom a Goldendoodle?