Guest Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Hi! I haven't been on for a while but I need your help please... Has anyone got any great ideas for circle time games I can play with reception children? I know a few but I always seem to end up doing the same things and the children (and me!) are starting to get bored...... Thanks, Woozle.
Steve Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Hi Woozle - If you can wait a week, we've got a very good new article coming out with the re-launch on the 17th. Not primarily focussed on activities, but does contain some. It's mainly about the approach to circle time and the different ways it can be used. If you can't wait, we've got a very simple article I compiled from some conversations a year ago on the forum. It's probably a bit trivial for you now, and was an experimental idea for converting some of the discussions into longer term documents - might be worth a quick perusal. You can find it here
Guest Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 Thanks Steve, the article was intresting and it reminded me of some of those things that we all know, but forget to include as time gose by, if you know what I mean! I look forward to the new article next week...
Susan Posted June 11, 2004 Posted June 11, 2004 hi Woozle Have you played "duck, duck, goose", "Mr bear likes honey" etc these are good for cooperation. "Here we go round" is a good book for circle time activities and covers all 6 areas. Difficult to be more specific when you haven't said what your focus is.
Guest Posted June 12, 2004 Posted June 12, 2004 theres a couple of good books out packed with ideas - one is by jenny mosely i can find the titles if needed, but don't have them to hand
Guest Posted June 13, 2004 Posted June 13, 2004 Hi Woozle, The 'Here we go round' book by Jenny Mosley is the one I'd recommend. I also have 'Circle Time for the Very Young' which is for nursery, reception and key stage one. This one covers friends and friendship, growing up, feelings and persuasion, keeping safe and citizenship. There's also a scholastic book -'Circle time - 10 minute ideas for early years' which has some nice ideas. By the way .... What's 'Mr. Bear likes honey'?
Guest Posted June 13, 2004 Posted June 13, 2004 Hi Woozle Have you seen the series of Little Books by Featherstone Education? They are very good and they now have one for circle time. Also the Ros Bayley books Helping young children to listen and Storylines have some lovely ideas. They are both published by Lawrence Educational Publications-the website is www.educationalpublications.com. Linda
Gezabel Posted June 13, 2004 Posted June 13, 2004 I have done "A bear likes honey" and imagine its the same as the "Mr" version, but havent done it for ages. Children sit in a cirlce with one child in the middle with 'a pot of honey' The children sing (well usually shout!) "A bear likes honey, yes he does, BUZZ BUZZ Go to sleep little bear (child in middle lies down and goes to sleep near honey pot) Adult silently selects one child to tiptoe into circle and take the honey, As soon as they have the children say "WAKE UP little bear" the child with the stolen honey runs round the outside of the circle and the bear chases them to try and get the honey. The child runs all the way round the circle back to where he/she was sitting and sits back down with the honey. That child then becomes the bear and goes to the middle and the whole thing starts again with the original bear sitting in the vacant place. The children do love it and though it takes a while if you are going to let all children have a turn at being the bear they dont seem to get fed up of it! I found that you need really quite a large area, school hall is ideal for some of the bigger, 'wilder' runners!!! I hope someone will correct me if my version is wrong!
Sue R Posted June 13, 2004 Posted June 13, 2004 I remember that now!! yes, good fun. Reminds me of one of our favourites "Sleepy Pirate" Children sit in a circle, one in the middle, the Pirate. They pretend to go to sleep, leaving their keys beside them. Adult silently chooses a child to 'steal' the keys as quietly as possible. All children and adults then put arms behind backs and sing(or shout!! ) "Wake up, sleepy pirate, someone stole your keys!". Pirate then sits up and has 3 guesses as to who has stolen the keys. With the younger ones, we might ask the 'thief' to carefully jingle the keys before the 3rd guess, to help a bit.Whether right or wrong, in the interests of fair play and keeping the length down, we then have the 2 children swapping until everyone who wants has had a go. I also involve the adults!! Sue
Susan Posted June 13, 2004 Posted June 13, 2004 hi, substitute mr for a and the rests the same! I've also used keys as the honey so bear can wake up if he hears keys being picked up. We used to play lots of these sorts of ring games, every Friday instead of a story when I worked in nursery. But time has obliterated most of them. Funny you think you'll never forget! Any others any one?
Gezabel Posted June 13, 2004 Posted June 13, 2004 Showing my age now but we recently did "IN and out the dusty bluebells" and the pre-school children LOVED it!! Anyone remember the "big ship sails though the alley alley oh!" or something like that - I know it had the words 'on the last day of september' in it somewhere but cant remember any more.
Guest Posted June 13, 2004 Posted June 13, 2004 As we are doing Row your boat as our topic this term we have been teaching the children the big ship sails. We are going to do it as one of the songs for our summer concert! We're not doing the bit with the hand on the wall but are going to have an arch for them to go under. They are really enjoying it! Linda
Guest Posted June 15, 2004 Posted June 15, 2004 Thanks for that Geraldine. We play 'keeper of the keys' to develop good listening ... and being quiet. Child in middle 'minds' the keys and sits with eyes shut (Oh yee!). Another tries to get the keys away without being heard - the keeper can either point to anyone approaching or it can be played with keeper touching the taker. Does anyone do 'I wrote a letter to friend'. We did this as part of our topic on People who help us - the postman. The children really enjoyed it. The big ship sails down the ally-ally-o, The ally, ally -0, the ally ally -o. Oh the big ship sails down the ally-ally-o On the last day of September. The captain says this will never never do.... Can't remember any more - there must be more verses!! We used to play this when I was at primary school ... just a couple of years ago
catma Posted June 15, 2004 Posted June 15, 2004 I tried this today! Oranges and lemons: children sit in a ring and they are an orange or a lemon. If you call oranges they get up and swop seats. Same for lemons. It was with great amusement that I found myself saying "Come on , you're a lemon!! (This child NEVER listens!!!!!) You can be more adventurous and have other fruits. In which case you can yell fruit salad and they all swop!
Guest Posted June 18, 2004 Posted June 18, 2004 This is the first post Ive made! Very exciting!!! During circle time I like to pass a sticker round...give a child a sticker to pass to someone they think deserves it and they can give a reason why. Also passing a smile or something like that...I talk to the children about how we can show we are friendly...& they make suggestions and then we pass something round either all the same or each child can choose to pass something different...can include hug/ thumbs up/ smile/ shake hands/ wink (always funny to see children doing this) high 5 / chinese bow (good for talking about other cultures & introducing other cultures greetings).... the children always come up with plenty. Emmie
Steve Posted June 18, 2004 Posted June 18, 2004 Hi Emmie - Welcome to the forum and thanks for your circle time tips! Don't know if you've come across it yet, but we've just posted a new article on Circle Time which you can get to from the front page featured item, or from the Visitors' Articles index. I'd be interested in hearing what people think of it! Welcome again - Steve.
Guest Posted June 18, 2004 Posted June 18, 2004 We play pass the squeeze quite a lot in my class and they love it, and keeper of the keys, though we often use a bean bag and play in the hall. We also often use pass Eddie (my little toy elephant) and they can only speak when they have him. We have a number of different topics we talk about with him, sich as something that made them smile that day, what they like about their friends, things that have made them sad etc etc. Eddie goes home with someone every Friday and he has his own bag and diary. The kids and parents write in it over the weekend or holiday and we all share it on a monday. It's great to see it. I've got last year's one from my old school and I love reading it through. Reminds me of each of the kids.
Guest Posted June 18, 2004 Posted June 18, 2004 Hi another verse of Big ship sails is the big ship sank to the bottom of the sea etc. My Y1 class likes who stole the cookie ifrom the cookie jar? The whole class say who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? Teacher names a child and says "XYZ" stole the cookie from the cookie jar XYZ says Who me? couldn't be! whole class says Then who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? XYZ names someone else from the group saying ABC stole the cookie from the cookie jar and so it continues until someone who is accused of the crime says Yes I stole the cookie from the cookie jar and I ate it! Anne2
Guest Posted June 19, 2004 Posted June 19, 2004 hi emmie , just want to say hi and welcome. the teacher i work with does very similar circle time, sending round hugs,smiles etc.she has been discussing emotions by pulling a face sad, happy ,worried etc then asking the children what might make you feel like that. they then have a go telling the circle what makes them pull that face. i think it is a great why to make children aware of each others feelings and give them the convidence to talk about their own. maddy.
mundia Posted June 19, 2004 Posted June 19, 2004 Hi also to Emmie. We also do lots of the things youe suggesetd, passing round smiles and actions aect. We have a high number of EAL children ad a number of deaf childern who just take a lng time to get into talking mode. Its amzing to see the difference though after a year isnt it? Do read the article on circle time that Steve pointed you towards, it make a really good read.
Guest Posted June 22, 2004 Posted June 22, 2004 Thank you all for your great ideas, its useful to give my brain a bit of a shake up now and again! I knew most of those ideas but like I said I forget over time and end up doing the same old things! Thanks again, Woozle.
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