Circle Time Magic: Relationship Building
[Music]
Dawn: Now, it's time for some Circle Time Magic.
Kristin: Aha, I love this part!
Dawn: These are quick tips to help you have a more effective Circle Time.
Kristin: That's right. So thinking about relationship-building, we can start that at Circle Time. So, teachers can decide where they want children to sit within their large group Circle Time, right? So, children can be placed next to a friend that they're creating. They can be placed next to a peer model who kind of maybe is a little bit older and maybe knows how to do the Circle Time. So, all of these kind of create relationships with the children involved in Circle Time. And planned ahead of time with a little seating chart.
Dawn: Right, that planning ahead of time really helps to try to manage a good Circle Time. And so, you can also help children feel more welcome and see their identities represented at Circle Time, too, because you can place their names on circle and that gives them a place to sit. Or if they're younger, you can actually have their picture so they can more easily identify where they need to sit in circle so they can get to it more quickly and they know what to do because you have prepared them for that.
Kristin: Absolutely.
This video shows ways that educators can improve their circle time and build relationships with children. It is part of the Positive Behavior Support module, one of several EarlyEdU Alliance Higher Education Learning Modules.
