Circle Time Daily Routines

Check-in

In our class, all of the children have a popsicle stick with a symbol on it. We have a chart with library pockets on it and a spot of velcro on each pocket. For each new unit, we prepare a picture vocabulary list with boardmaker and cut the squares apart, laminate them, and attach one word to each pocket. At the beginning of circle, the child designated as the "bus driver" finds the bus and hands out the sticks one at a time. When they get their stick, the children go up and place it in one of the pockets and name the word that they chose. Lots of learning opportunities can evolve from this:

• Where is the bus? Under the table? On the computer? Behind me? We reinforce prepositions each day by retrieving and replacing the bus to different locations.
• Vocabulary development. Sometimes I tell the children which word they should find and they place their sticks in that pocket.
• Categories - find an animal pocket.
• Negation - find one that does NOT have four legs.
• Function - which one do we use to eat with?
• Social skills - we work on basic social phrases during check in time. Handing the stick and saying, "Here, Sarah," saying "thank you," making eye-contact.

Counting Box

I use this every day as a "job." I have a box which is labeled as the counting box and in the same place every day. Each day, I put something different inside. The objects relate to my theme, like rubber frogs during a unit on water animals, or sunglasses during a summer unit. The job of the counter is to take out the box and count the objects inside. As this has evolved, we have added some fun learning features to this routine:

• For non-verbal kids, I use this intellipics game. My computer is near my circle. There is no need for the child to see the computer, just hear the counting. I use the overlay to press the "let's count" button when we need to start over. Then the child simply presses a switch plugged into the intellikeys in order to count. As long as I can make the switch reach the child, I don't worry about them seeing the computer. However, if you had a child with a hearing impairment, this would be a visual way to participate in counting as well. Even the verbal kids could use the program and that way the child with hearing impairments would be able to follow along as the child counts. This game can also be used for independent counting practice. It reinforces the concept of 1:1 correspondence.
• Shake the box and guess what is inside. Is it noisy or quiet? Are there lots or just a few?
• Which one is different? Have all the objects be the same except for one. Vary the challenge - make them all the same category except for one. Make them all the same shape and color but one is a different size.
• Are there enough for all the kids? Sometimes, I have the counter count the children as well and then ask if there are enough objects for everyone. Sometimes I even have students who can predict what will happen - "there will be one left."
• What do with do with it? Sometimes we hand out the objects and do something obvious like make the frogs jump or wear the sunglasses and sing "Mr. Sun."
• When we have other things to accomplish, we simply count and then put the box away for next time.

Color Line-up

Many preschool teachers have shapes or symbols on the floor for lining up. Each day we have the children pick a color (a fish on a popsicle stick) and place it in the pocket with their name on it. All of the pockets are on the wall near the door. At line up time, they go and stand on the color they chose for the day. Here are some variations that have evolved over time:

• Children pick their job first. Can the line leader figure out that he has to pick the color that is on the floor at the FRONT of the line?
• During our unit on trains, we added a caboose and made sure that the last space on the floor was red.
• You could use shapes, symbols, or any other concept you want to reinforce.
• Name recognition: my younger students have pockets with their symbols printed on them. The older ones have pockets with their names written on them.

To Teaching Ideas                              

This page was last updated on June 5, 1999
Please send comments to bastiani@umd5.umd.edu