Circle Time Activities and Ideas for Preschoolers

Almost all early childhood child care and preschool programs have at least one circle time in their daily schedule. Your circle time should reflect the needs and interests of the children in your care. Take a look at the circle time ideas presented below for inspiration.

Most circle times have some common activities:

• Songs
• Calendar
• Weather
• Stories
• Other Language or Literacy Activities

Make sure you have a defined space that you use each day for circle time. Give each preschooler a specific spot to sit with enough space that they do not have to touch one another. Carpet squares work well for this.

1. Hello Song
2. Calendar
3. Weather
4. Story
5. Game or Activity
6. Song

• Days of the Week Coloring Pages
• Seasonal Days of the Week and Calendar Numbers to Print
• Week Day Signs and Calendar Pieces(scroll down the page)

Movement Ideas for Preschoolers During Circle Time

If your class is having difficulty sitting still, try adding activities that include movement. Place these activities before something that you want them to be able to sit still and focus on. For example, have the children stretch or do morning exercises before story time.

Here are some other circle time ideas for including movement:

• Sing songs or use rhymes that have hand motions or movements.
• Have children clap their hands or jump out a specified number rather than having them simply respond to a flashcard.
• Instead of having children shout out a color they see on a flashcard, have the children take turns finding something that is the correct color around your classroom to show their friends.

Circle Time Activities - Stories

13 Tips for Reading to a Group

1. Be sure all children can see and hear the story.
2. Choose a story that will appeal to your audience and suit the children' s attention span.
3. Choose a book with bright and large illustrations
4. Provide an alternate activity for those who lose interest.
5. Choose books that invite participation though repeated verses or rhymes.
6. Start by grabbing their attention with "magic story dust" or a calming fingerplay.
7. Ask questions to set the stage for listening. For example," What do you think will happen to Miffy mouse?"
8. Substitute the children's names for character names to add interest.
9. Be flexible. Skip or alter parts of a book as the needs of your young listeners' dictate.
10. Use props to bring a story alive.
11. Try a new introduction or attention grabber before starting a story.
12. Pick a book the children are familiar with. Add their names or make silly mistakes to get their attention
13. Try asking the children to predict what will happen next.

Literacy Activities for Circle Time 

Puppets are a fun way to engage young children in a group discussion or activitity.

• Puppet Building  

Another popular Circle time activity is felt and flannel boards!

• Felt Board Story Templates
• Felt Board Activities
• Flannel Board Ideas
• Felt Board Printables