Early Childhood - Connecticut State Department of Education

Decisions About Practice Chapter 3
guide on social and emotional development, which
includes possible sentence starters, responses to avoid
in guiding behavior, and best practices for promoting
positive classroom behaviors.
MAKING THE MOST OF CIRCLE TIME
Early childhood programs frequently gather children
together, usually on a carpeted area, to have discussions,
read stories and make plans for the day. Large-group
circle time is a useful teaching strategy first discussed in
the work of Frederick Froebel, the father of kindergarten.
To maximize the benefits of circle time, teachers should
consider:
• the amount of time they are asking children
to come together in a group;
• the age and developmental abilities of the
group;
• how to provide learning experiences that
are valuable; and
• whether plans are engaging and relevant to
the children’s interests.
Circle time may be used to:
• provide information on the schedule of the
day;
• encourage an understanding of time
within the framework of discussions on
the calendar, the days of the week and the
weather; or
• introduce new concepts and provoke ideas
for project work.
During circle time, children should have opportunities
to:
• share ideas, engage in conversation and
practice communicating meaningful
messages;
• listen to others and develop their skills as
members of a social group;
• practice, strengthen and reinforce their
abilities to share information and tell stories;
and
• gain information and knowledge from peers
and adults in a group setting.
Children at 3 and 4 typically can sit still in a large
group and attend for about 15-20 minutes. During this
time it is essential that they are active and participating,
engaged in the activity or task, and involved in discussion
and questioning.
Teachers often plan circle times to include
calendar activities highlighting days of the week and
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requiring children to repeat phrases such as “today is…”.
Children learn little from this activity despite a teacher’s
best intentions. It is a challenging task for children to sit
still during a calendar presentation and, consequently,
teachers often spend an inordinate amount of time
on managing behavior rather than on productive and
engaging activities.
Children at 3 and 4 do not have an ability to
understand the concept of time. Rote recall is not sufficient
to enhance their learning. “Young children’s reasoning
is tied to what they are seeing and experiencing; that is,
young children are dependent on concrete, observable
events (physical knowledge) to help them ‘figure things
out’” (Vanscoy and Fairchild, 1993). The calendar can
be better understood as a literacy tool, a chart of sorts.
Since time concepts cannot be seen, heard or felt, they
are difficult for young children to construct. It is, in
fact, the process of using the calendar as a reference tool
where learning can occur.
Designing a calendar so the pieces can be
manipulated and rearranged provides children with a
more active engagement in understanding the labels for
the days, months and dates. Ongoing conversations and
opportunities to think about and experience temporal
concepts are more worthwhile and lasting. The following
experiences can be included within the daily calendar:
• shared experiences, such as field trips where
children have an opportunity to discuss
before and after, first this happened and then
this, etc.;
• birthdates of classmates; and
• special occasions in the lives of the
children.
Suggested Circle Time Procedure
8:45 The children are gathered on the rug with a
familiar gathering song. This can be as easy as
using a familiar tune and inserting the words,
“Let’s all gather together, let’s all gather together,
let’s all gather together and begin our day.”
Clapping a beat, the teacher greets each child
by name and asks, “Jeff, how are you today?”
8:50 As everyone settles on the carpet, the teacher
begins with a comment on something that
has already occurred that morning and elicits
conversation from the children.
8:52 For a few minutes children are given an
opportunity to spontaneously share what is
on their minds. Then the teacher gently pulls
the children back to the group and mentions
that she has brought to circle some interesting
items she would like to share, especially since
they have been spending time watching their