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Question of the Day can introduce new concepts, teach literacy skills and invite 100% participation.

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Use Question of the Day for preschool to make your circle time routine engaging and educational at the same time.

There is no doubt about it that one of the favorite and most-loved circle time activities that I do is Question of the Day.

My class looks forward to it each time, and some of them even bring their parents over to see it at the end of the day. Talk about making my teacher heart burst.

Sometimes it feels like there's so much to do in a day and so little time to do it. And when it comes to circle time, it might feel like we have a lot we want to go over but their attention spans are itty bitty. Children start to lose focus around 10 minutes when they are sitting still.

That means two important things to me.

1. I need to be very intentional about what I focus on in circle time. I am super picky now when it comes to circle time activities. I want to do circle time activities that add true value to my class that they actually love to do. I don't want to have to stop every few minutes to address behavior. We don't have time for that. Not me and not them. After doing circle time for about 15 years and seeing other amazing teachers do it too, I just skip to the best activities that keep children's attention and get them excited to come over when I say we're going to start circle time in two minutes.

2. There needs to be some movement and engagement all throughout circle time. When we know that children only have those precious and quick 10 minutes of sitting in them before we start to lose them, we need to use this to our advantage. And in preschool, we get to have classes that are interactive and fun. After preschool, most children won't get those fun and magical moments that are the highlight of preschool. I always start circle time with action and movement songs or dance songs because then I know that their brains are ready to listen. They've crossed the midline, and now they can concentrate and focus better as they listen to me and their friends in the class.

Question of the Day

So why I do decide to go with Question of the Day as one of my treasured preschool circle time activities?

I noticed that during circle time I would get hands raised and I would call on a child and then the child would tell me about something completely unrelated to what we were talking about. They would want to tell me a story about what they did over the weekend. Or about the funny thing their pet did that morning.

At first, I was asking myself, "Is anyone even listening to me?!? My question had nothing to do with that."

But then it hit me.

Children want to use large group time to share with the class about themselves.

As someone who loves to use my own student's interests and cues to help guide my teaching, I decided that we could come to a good balance with some good old Question of the Day prompts.

My students would be interested in it because they would get that chance to release their burning desire to talk about themselves. And I also loved what they would be learning at the same time.

Question of the Day Skills

Now let's get down to the nitty, gritty of using Question of the Day.

What are children actually learning during Question of the Day?

Let's talk literacy skills. Question of the Day in preschool and kindergarten helps teach:

Print awareness

Letter recognition

Sentence structure

And now math skills. Question of the Day helps children learn about:

They are even developing those super important social/emotional skills by:

Developing classroom community

Practicing listening to their classmates

Learning to take turns

There are lots of ways to do Question of the Day. That's the out of the box person in me talking. I've seen teachers use it by doing Yes/No questions, but I take it a lot further.

I love to ask questions that are more open-ended or have an answer that they can quickly choose. An added bonus is that it also gives you lots more ways to graph the children's answers, and as a person who loves graphs, charts, and data, this is right up my alley.

We use it to dive into important topics, silly ideas, to play games, and to laugh with one another.

There are so many topics or preschool themes you can use for Question of the Day, but I have five favorite topics that I can use any time of the year for Question of the Day:

This is what I based my Question of the Day prompts on. These are great for anyone who is looking to have another meaningful activity for their circle time, someone who has never done Question of the Day before, and anyone who likes to have circle time ideas ready to go ahead of time.

I made my Question of the Day cards so that they easily fit into a pocket chart, but they are also perfect for whiteboards, bulletin boards, or anything similar.

Question of the Day Color Prompts

For colors, my absolute favorite question, which happens to be theirs too, is, "What's your favorite color?"

Then we graph it by each color. I like to let my students come up and put their own name under the color they selected.

That way I'm incorporating some simple hands-on interaction and movement since they are helping too by walking up and finding their name.

Question of the Day Shape Prompts

My favorite part of the Question of the Day shape section is the game, "What Am I?"

It gives clues to help children figure out which shape is being used.

The more interactive I make circle time, the more my little learners want to participate. And games are always a winner.

Question of the Day Emotions and Feelings Prompts

Social/emotional skills are one of the most overlooked skills in the preschool years, but it is one of the most important times to practice them.

I make it a daily practice to talk about our feelings.

Plus, it makes a perfect question of the day for preschool.

When I talk about feelings and emotions during circle time, I can make it our entire circle time topic if that's what I'm aiming for that day. I'll ask the children about questions that will get them thinking and help them relate their feelings to words. But then again, if I just want to make it simple and quick, then I don't dive as deep into our questions.

Question of the Day My Name Prompts

A teacher friend and I were talking about the importance of using our students names throughout the day, especially in a positive way.

Lots of times when children hear their names, it's followed by, "don't do that" or "stop that."

Displaying children's names in positive ways is a game changer, and I like to do it in as many ways as I can think of.

So each day at circle time we sing one another's names with welcome songs and we talk about them for question of the day.

Question of the Day Animal Prompts

Probably the topic that children love to talk about the most is animals!

And it goes far beyond the preschool years. In second grade, my daughter's class had a guinea pig, and she had guinea pigs on the brain 24/7 for months. She wrote about them, researched them, drew pictures, and couldn't think of much else besides guinea pigs.

Each child has that one type of animal that they are fascinated by or just love.

So I came up with circle time lesson plans that involved animals in my Question of the Day activities.

I like to spend about a week on each topic. Topics such as animals can go on for ages, and you could do different animals each month. There are so many possibilities with it. Other topics that we love to ask questions about are holidays, insects and bugs, or whatever theme we are working on for the week.

Overall, it's important to make the question of the day time for kids something that is simple for you to implement. No one has tons of prepping time, and Question of the Day should be easy and not a burden. For years, I just wrote out Question of the Day on easel paper or a whiteboard.

If I can't easily do a Question of the Day idea, then it just doesn't happen. I have a tendency to overcomplicate things, so my system is easy-peasy.

Question of the Day Printable Cards

I made my own Question of the Day printable cards so that each time I do Question of the Day now, it's all set and easy to use on different classes. Once you prep it once, it's all set forever.

And can I be honest? I learned a few years ago that as much as I love laminating my teaching materials, I love not having to laminate them even more!

So when it comes to Question of the Day, I have a secret. I print them out on photo paper instead of regular paper. That way they are all pretty and glossy, and I wasn't spending the day cutting and laminating. All I do is print and cut once. Laminating still has its benefits, but I just love that shortcut.

We love to use these quick and easy preschool question of the day printables that I made that easily fit right into a pocket chart. And my class loves how engaging circle time is!

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How to use Question of the Day for Circle Time

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Use Question of the Day for preschool to make your circle time routine engaging and educational at the same time. There is no doubt about it that one of the favorite and most-loved circle time activities that I do is Question of the Day.

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The Mystery Bag is a fun and effective substitute for show and tell in the classroom. It can be fun guessing game but can also be beneficial for kids to develop language and speaking skills. It can help kids get to know one another and is inclusive to all students.

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When reading a book to the class allow kids to participate by giving them a role in the story. The kids can be your sound effects as you read. This allows for participation and movement.
Emilia Rowe

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Posted on November 21 2019

Spur more raised hands from your students with these tried and true techniques.

Are you a teacher who needs help improving participation in classroom reading activities? Perhaps you have a certain few who resist raising their hand or opt to skip their turn. In this post, we'll cover a few tips that can help engage those students in classroom reading activities, and encourage them to raise their hand more often:

Use students' names

Allow time for think-pair-share

Get active

Apply the "secret answer" technique

Use reading tools for kids

Continue below to learn more about how to encourage student participation in classroom reading activities.

Use students' names

It might surprise you how much using students' names during classroom reading activities impacts their participation. This small but personal gesture can help your class feel more connected to you, especially those who may resist participating. If you have a large class or multiple classes, it may be challenging to remember everyone's name. A simple technique is to put place cards in front of each student. You could also print a roster with your students' photos next to their names and study them at home.

Allow time for think-pair-share

Allowing for thinking and collaboration time is another way to help increase student confidence in their answers, which can lead to more participation. Think-pair-share is a strategy that allows students to process what they have just learned, then discuss with a partner. After asking a question during classroom reading activities, have students first consider the answer by themselves, then discuss their response with a neighbor or partner. Finally, ask students to share their answers with the class. By giving students more time to think and the opportunity to collaborate with others, you may find more raised hands.

Get active

Instead of sitting at their desks and raising hands, perhaps encourage participation in classroom reading activities in other ways that allow your students to be more active. For instance, standing up or sitting down in response to a list of comprehension questions can be a fun yet educational way to engage students. You could have students stand up if they think a statement is true and sit down if they think it's false. Some teachers find this tactic particularly useful right after lunch when students may have lower energy levels. Alternatively, you could ask students to demonstrate their comprehension by giving a thumbs up or thumbs down in response to yes/no questions.

Apply the "secret answer" technique

A major factor in low participation in classroom reading activities has to do with confidence. Some students may feel afraid to answer for fear of getting it wrong. The "secret answer" technique allows the whole class to privately share their answers, without fear of judgment by their peers.

To try this technique, assign a number to each possible answer to a question. Have your class arrange in lines, not facing each other. Then, ask students to hold up the number of fingers in front of their heart that reflects their response to your question. You'll have a class full of participants who are engaging in your lesson!

Use reading tools for kids

Reading tools like the Toobaloo Whisper Phone and the Eye Lighter Colored Overlays Tool can help enhance reading and speech skills, which can boost both confidence and participation in class.

The Toobaloo is a tube-shaped reading helper that is designed to help with reading, speech, comprehension, and pronunciation. It provides immediate auditory feedback when students speak softly, allowing them to make any necessary adjustments and seed key concepts.

The Eye Lighter is a bright ruler-shaped instrument that can highlight multiple lines of text or underline a single sentence. This reading aid for kids helps students with eye tracking, reading comprehension, and reading fluency.

These tips for encouraging participation in classroom reading activities can help engage your students, especially those who resist raising their hands. For more reading and speech tools and tips for teachers, continue reading our blog!

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How to Encourage Student Participation in Classroom Reading Activities

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Posted on November 21 2019 Are you a teacher who needs help improving participation in classroom reading activities? Perhaps you have a certain few who resist raising their hand or opt to skip their turn.

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During circle time, listen to or sing songs that kids can dance to and get their bodies moving. Many songs already have dances or movements you can teach to students. Creating a new dance to a song is also an excellent way to use imagination, creativity, and still get moving.
Caleigh Garrigan

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For every teacher you ask about how to run circle time, you will get a slightly different answer.

Today I want to share with you a little bit about our circletime process along with ten tips for making circletime more than just a routine experience but instead an engaging and interesting experience in the preschool classroom...

Circletime in Action!

A Community Experience

In my classroom, circletime is a time when our students come together as a community of learners. As a community, we share our thoughts, listen to one another, actively participate together, introduce new concepts and ideas, read together, sing together, and build a sense of respect and support for one another...
Circletime Tip #1: Think of circletime as a way to foster a sense of community where everyone is a valued member of that community.
An Interactive Experience

When planning for circletime, I am always thinking of ways I can invite the kids to actively participate in the experience and not just be passive observers of the experience. An interactive experience means that the children are being invited to actively get involved. Whether it is simply passing an object around the circle to take a closer look, singing a song together, playing a game, or retelling a story the children are constantly being invited to interact with me, with one another, and with the materials I bring to the circletime experience...
Circletime tip #2: Make circletime an interactive experience by seeking out ways to keep your students actively involved in the circletime experience rather than passively sitting while you do all the talking.
A Hands-On Experience

When planning for circletime, I also spend time gathering tools and materials that the children can physically touch and manipulate to further their understanding of a concept I hope to promote or introduce. By spending a few minutes working with simple tools and materials as a whole group, I am able to give guidance and insight to the children about the tools or materials and then confidently send them off to the centers later to work with the tools or materials in their own way...
Circletime tip #3: Gather tools and materials for the children to physically touch and manipulate during circletime. Make circletime a hands-on-and-do experience rather than just a hands-in-your-lap experience.
A Movement Experience

Throughout my circletime experiences, I make sure to integrate time for physical movement as well as time for sitting. To get the children moving, I tend to rely on lots of music and movement which means I have spent a lot of time learning songs and action rhymes that I can whip out anytime I need them. Some of the music and movement actions may fit along with a book I am reading or a theme we are exploring and some of them may just be something the children love. Don't get stuck on the idea that every music and movement activity has to be related to a letter of the week or some kind of theme. The better you and your students know the movements to a familiar song or action rhyme, the more confident you will be and the more engaged your students will be...
Circletime tip #4: Keep circletime fun and engaging by adding movement into the mix of your experience. Focus on developing your own rich library of music and movement songs or action rhymes that you can pull out and use anytime you need to get the children up and moving...
A Read-Aloud Experience

The books we choose to read to our students is an absolute critical part of our circletime experience. Mrs. Courtney and I spend more time than I can express carefully reviewing the books we will share with our students. We are always considering whether the books will be engaging, interesting, age appropriate, and a bridge to other types of learning in our classroom. We also read the books on our own time and ahead of time so that we can be effective in how we read aloud to our students...
Circletime tip #5: Be selective and purposeful in the books you choose to read aloud to your students during circletime. Make sure the books you choose are a right fit for the age of children you are reading to and will be a book your students will enjoy. Spend time getting to know each book before reading it - you should have a good grasp on each page of the book and what approach you will take to reading the book well before you sit down to read it with your students.
A Touching Experience

For just about every book we read, I try to find a simple way to put the story into the hands of the children. In other words, I look for something that the children can touch or feel or smell that takes the story from the page and puts it into the hands of the children. My goal is to give the children something that will help them connect with the story or remember the story...
Circletime tip #6: Make the circletime story more meaningful by giving the children something they can touch and hold. Choose simple objects that will spark conversation and help the children draw connections between the story and real life.
A Visual Experience

Not only do I want to provide objects for my students to touch but I want to also create a visual experience so that my students have something they can look at as we build on concepts or hold group discussions. To create a visual experience, I pull from a variety of materials or tools like a large group graph, flannel board, magnetic board, big books, and charts on a wall. For every visual, I am also visualizing how my students can participate or interact with the visual rather than just look at it. Perhaps they will guide me through a process or perhaps my students will participate by adding something to the visual but in any case, the challenge is to make the visual more than just a poster on the wall but instead an engaging part of the circletime experience.
Circletime tip #7: Keep preschoolers engaged in circletime by having different kinds of visuals that promote conversation and invite interaction.
A Responsive Experience

No matter what agenda I may have for circletime each day, I have to remain responsive to the needs and interests of my students. Taking a responsive approach to leading circletime can be challenging but it is by being responsive that I can tell when it is time to move on, slow down, do more, do less, get up an move, or sit down and listen. I try to be aware of how often I am telling my students to listen and wait versus how often I am reminding myself to be the one who needs to listen and wait. I try to balance what my own agenda actually is versus what my agenda should actually be...
Circletime tip #8: Be responsive to your students by being willing to modify your agenda to meet their needs and interests.
A Routine Experience

We have a circletime routine that we pretty much follow which gives our students an order of the things we will do during circletime. However, within our routine - the books, materials, tools, games, and other experiences (as described above) change each day. An example of our typical morning circletime routine would be...

Helper of the Day

Weather

Action Letters (phonics)

Book (along with any additional materials or tools for extending the book)

Interactive graphing, story telling, music and movement, and other experiences as already mentioned above.

Circletime tip #9: Having a circletime routine that the children can become familiar with helps the children to know what to expect and to be a more confident participant in the process. However, within any routine it is important to be responsive to the needs and interests of the children. If a routine is not working well, then it will be necessary to adapt, change, shorten, rearrange, or somehow modify the routine.
A Sensitive Experience

Above all else during circletime, I try to be sensitive of my students' needs to have their ideas respected, heard, understood, and acted upon. Finding a balance between what I believe is best for the whole group experience versus taking the time out to listen to one child tell me a rather lengthy story about going to the beach isn't easy to do. But I have learned that my role in the preschool classroom is to build my students' confidence to share their ideas, seek understanding, and build knowledge. I have learned that to play the teaching role successfully, I have to remain sensitive to the needs of my students and stay aware of how my own responses affect their little hearts and minds.

Circletime tip #10: Make sure that your approach to circletime and your handling of the children during circletime leads young children towards feeling confident in their knowledge and abilities.

A Successful Experience

Ultimately, I want circletime to be a successful experience for my students. It is for this reason that I use the word experience in connection with the word circletime. After years of teaching, I have learned that circletime is more engaging to young children if it is built around simple, brief, interesting, and engaging experiences that invite conversation and interaction rather than being nothing but a sit-still-and-listen experience. There are times during circletime that I ask the children to give me their very best attention but this is balanced with making my own effort to give them my very best effort and attention in return.

If you have circletime tips to share that work well for you or if you have questions for me about our circletime experience, please do leave me a comment below and we will continue this discussion as you do...
Links to Grow On
Available on Amazon

Free Activities from Dr. Jean Feldman

Circletime Songs that Teach by Nancy Kopman

Morning Message by Pre-K Pages

Using the Book Cover in Circletime by Teach Preschool

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10 tips for circletime in the preschool classroom

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For every teacher you ask about how to run circle time, you will get a slightly different answer. Today I want to share with you a little bit about our circletime process along with ten tips for making circletime more than just a routine experience but instead an engaging and interesting experience in the preschool classroom...

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During circle time, sing songs about numbers such as 5 little monkeys. Have 5 monkey toys that you put in the middle of the circle, count them at the begining of the song and as you sing along take away 1 monkey as the verse states. Count the monkeys after each verse. This shows counting with a purpose.
Shaina Foran

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Children really enjoy fun math circle games, and they develop lots of skills during them that they can then transfer and apply in their play and in their lives.

Having taught children from the ages of 3-5 over a ten year period, I have created and trialled literally hundreds of math circle time games. In this article I will describe my favourite twenty of these games. With these twenty games in your repertoire, I guarantee your adult-led math sessions will go to the next level.

So, if you want to find out what these twenty games are, with a detailed description of how to play them, then read on.

The Games

1. Fishing for numbers

What you need for this are some number flashcards. What you do is to stick a few paperclips in a line in one spot on the back. Just stick a piece of Sellotape over the paperclips.

Then get a fishing rod. A stick with string tied to it is all is required. Get a magnet to tie to the end of the string. You now have a magnetic fishing rod.

Put the numbers face down in the middle of a circle of children. Pick one child to go first. They fish a number using the magnetic rod.

They say what it is, then they do that number of jumps. All the rest of the children count and clap as they do it. Then repeat for other children.

2. Numbers numbers all around

This is quite possibly my favourite math circle time game.

Have some number flashcards face down in the middle of the circle. Pick one child to come into the middle of the circle to go first.

Then you all sing the song that goes:
Numbers numbers all around! All around! All around! Numbers numbers all around! What have found?
After you sing the song, the child picks up a number and shows it to everyone. For example, it might be seven. This child then does seven slow jumps. Every time their feet hit the floor, the other children clap and count. The trick is to try to stop when you get to seven! Repeat for different numbers.

This is one of the games in my favorite 21 circle time games for preschool article.

3. Counting to an instrument

Get an instrument like a drum or tambourine, and simply hit is slowly a number of times. The children count the strikes.

To get them to all join in, give them number fans or get them to write it down on whiteboards if they are at that level.

4. Counting with a puppet

Puppets are fantastic for a range of math games and strategies. To read my in-depth article about how puppets can be used for math then click here.

To summarise, puppets can help you count in a range of ways. Some of the most important are:

Counting past ten

Counting on from a given number not one

Counting backwards

Counting backwards from a given number

Missing number problems

5. Counting songs with number bags

These are one of the most effective math circle times. Have some toys in a bag that link to a song. A good example is Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer with five little alien toys.

Put the Little Aliens in the middle of the circle, count them, and then sing the song. After every verse count them, take one away, and see how many there are left. A great way to introduce counting for a purpose, one less, and it also makes number very visual as well.

This is one of the best ways to teach one to one correspondence (for the full guide on what one to one correspondence is and how to teach it, check this out).

6. Quiz Quiz Trade

If you play for number recognition, then what you do is give out one number flashcard to each child. Get the children to stand up and then they each find a partner. The idea is to say what your partner's number is, and your partner says what your number is. Then you swap your cards, and go and find a new partner.

Try to do as many partners as you can.

This game could also be played with spots on the cards which the children have to count, or it could be holding shapes for your partner to recognise.

7. Pass the number round the circle

This is a good number recognition game, and is good for more skilful children that know lots of numbers, as well as being possible for children who know much fewer numbers.

You simply pass number flashcards around the circle. A child holds the number, says what it is, and then passes it to the person next to them who repeats this process. Have lots of numbers on the go at once.

8. Count round the circle

This is good for laying the foundations for counting on from a given number.

One child says 'one', then the next child says 'two', and you just continue around the circle as far as possible. You could give them a toy to hold to focus them. You say the number when you are holding the toy, then pass it on.

An extension to this game is to try to count backwards around the circle.

9. Count with a partner

This is similar to the last game, and again is a good one for beginning to learn how to count on from a given number.

Sit facing a partner. One child will say 'one', the other says 'two', and keep counting as far as you can go. Games like this are good for one child to coach the other and teach them new skills, as there will usually be one child that can count further than the other.

To read a full article about how to count on from a given number, then go here.

10. Zoom Zoom Zoom song

This is my favourite learning to count backwards activity.

First you have to pick your five astronauts to go in the spaceship. Count back from 5 whilst pointing at one child in turn in the circle - 'Five, four, three, two, one, zero!' When you get to zero, the child you are pointing at is an astronaut.

Repeat that process until you have five astronauts in the middle of the circle.

Then we all need to get our space helmets on! Get your space boots on! Zip up your space boots! This bit really brings it to life.
Zoom zoom zoom We're going to the moon! Zoom zoom zoom We'll be there very soon! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. Blast off!
11. Parachute math games

Using parachutes is one of the best ways of developing cooperation skills and teamwork in the early years, and they are also fantastic for math.

One great game you can try is called Dive! Put lots of numbers underneath the parachute. Then get all the children to hold the parachute. Pick a child to go first. Then say, '1,2,3. Lift!' You all lift the parachute so that it mushrooms up into the air. Shout a number, and the child has to dive under the parachute, grab that number and bring it out.

Repeat for different children and other numbers.

To find out my all-time favourite 14 math parachute games, take a look at this article.

12. Counting in different voices

Children really love this simple game. I have a character voices dice. It has six different characters on it - a ghost, an alien, a tiger, a princess, a robot and a giant.

You simple roll the dice and count in whatever voice you roll.

To make it harder you can roll two dice. Have a character voice and a number dice. Roll both, and then count on from the number you get in the voice that you roll. For example, start counting on from 12 like a robot. Silly but fun and effective!

13. Actions to a number

For this I use two dice. One has actions on - e.g. clapping, jumping, hopping etc. The other one has numbers.

Roll both. You will get something like 3 and hopping. Hop three times! Then repeat.

14. Skywriting numbers in air

Put some pumping music on, and get the children to stand up!

Using their index finger, get them to draw big numbers in the air to the beat of the music. You could potentially get them to hold streamers or torches to make it even more exciting.

15. Dancing numbers!

For this I roll a numbers dice. For example, you may get a three.

Put some pumping music on, and then simply do a dance moves that number of times. For example, groove to right three times, then groove to the left three times. Reach up three times, then reach down three.

Then roll the dice again. Repeat the routine for the different number.

16. Sharing toys/sweets between two puppets

Have two puppets and some fruit or sweets or something similar.

This is an excellent introduction to sharing.

Model how to give one item to one puppet, and then one to the other. Continue until all are gone.

It is easier to start with even numbers for this. When the children get good at this, you can move on to odd numbers. The thing about odd numbers is that you will end up with a 'remainder' - an odd one out.

17. Matching numbers

Have matching pairs of number flashcards and one odd one out. Give out the flashcards.

The children stand up and try to find their matching partner. Hopefully they will all find a partner who they can stand next to.

However, one child will be by themselves. They are the champion!

To extend it, you could give out matching shapes, or matching cards with dots on that they have to count.

18. Counting stick activities

Counting sticks are probably the best introduction to a number line.

I like to use a homemade counting stick with Velcro stuck onto a broomhandle.

You can stick numbers onto the counting stick, and try counting in different ways. You can also play games like ordering numbers or finding missing numbers.

To find out my favorite 17 counting stick activities for simple math, then take a look at this.

19. Boo game

This is one of the very simplest, but most enjoyable math games. Also this game can be adapted in lots of different ways.

Have a bag and put some number flashcards into it. In with the numbers, you also put a picture of a ghost on a card.

Put the cards back into the bag and repeat again.

20. March counting

You quite simply get them on their feet and start marching whilst counting in different ways - forwards, backwards, or counting on from a given number.

You can mix it up a bit. Instead of marching you can try stamping like a giant, or hopping, or jumping - still counting as you do it.

Conclusion

Math should take place throughout your provision, and be part of daily life. However, the skills that children learn can be taught first through exciting math circle games. Use props, puppets and songs to really bring games to life.

Children will often ask for some games they really like to be played again. These can become a part of your repertoire, and usually the more children play a game the better they become at it.
What Is Ordering Numbers (And How To Teach It) Number Recogntion - The Best 16 Games To Try

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Math Circle Time Games - The Essential Guide (20 Ideas) | Early Impact Learning

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Children really enjoy fun math circle games, and they develop lots of skills during them that they can then transfer and apply in their play and in their lives. Having taught children from the ages of 3-5 over a ten year period, I have created and trialled literally hundreds of math circle time games.

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during circle time,  greet everyone  it helps the children  to relax in the mornings. can teach new stretch moves and it helps to get the children get there bodies moving around and listen to calming music, it could help come up with new ways to clam the body and feel relaxed.

Tasha larose-terry

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Getting kids to understand or see the difference between uppercase and lower case letters can be something difficult. By turning it into a game kid's will be able to grasp the concept better. This little game not only keeps the children engaged, it also provides learning in a fun way! As the kids improve with their skills you may even make it a little more difficult and have them write the letter they role.
Emily Rogers

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This letter recognition activity focuses on differentiating between upper and lowercase letters. The deeper I dove into how we teach early literacy the more I discovered that there are multiple "right ways" of introducing letters. When I am asked what the right way is, instead of a specific letter order, I say that we start with meaning and continue teaching in a meaningful way. That means start with the child's initials and other letters in their name and teaching the rest naturally and in context. For this reason, I teach upper and lowercase letters in tandem. I use both types of letters for activities and teach children both forms as we do.

This letter activity can be used as circle time activity, in a small group, or even individually. This is a great activity to work with children who are struggling with letter recognition and need repetitive practice. While I am keeping this letter recognition activity simple by sorting the upper and lowercase of the same letter you could make multiple columns with various letters depending on the group or individual student you are working with. You could even go one step further with older kids and use sight words!

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How To Do This Letter Activity

Gather your materials. You will need some paper, a whiteboard or a flip chart to make your graph. You will also need markers, dry erase markers, dry erase dice ( I got mine at Walmart, but you can get them here too), post-it notes and if you are popping this beautiful graph on your wall some tape that won't peel off your paint.

Start by making your chart. I just use paper, and when I am in my classroom I pop it on my huge magnet board, but it's summer so I am in my office with washi tape on my wall. If you have an easel or flip chart that would work too.

Next, write the letters on your dry-erase die. I used the same color markers as the post-its for the corresponding letter. I wanted to create a subtle scaffold for my students.

Write out the letters on post-its, of course, you could also use letter stickers, or magnets if you have a magnet board and enough magnets of the same letter... I sadly did not so Post-its to the rescue!

Pop everything in place with the post-its scattered about.

I like to introduce this activity as a sort of competition, not between students but between the letters. I ask the students if they have a hypothesis - which letter do they think will be rolled more. We examine the die, it's got the same number of upper and lowercase letters... hmm guess we will just have to roll and find out.

A good circle time activity is all about engagement.

Time to ROLL

Choose the matching letter on a post-it and place it in the correct column. This little bit of physical work - getting up from circle, walking to the board, choosing the letter, and placing it on the graph is just enough to keep 3-5-year-olds engaged. However, if you have a larger class, this could also take TOO LONG so use this activity as a small group one instead.

After everyone has had a turn count the letters and see which one the uppercase or lowercase won. I find even in a larger group if I tell the children that this is a competition and we have to see if the upper or lowercase letter will win, all stay engaged throughout. Using phrases like "Carrie-Ann do you think Hailey will roll an uppercase B or a lowercase one like you did?" to a child who is starting to fidget gets them involved without conflict.

After we play this together as a group I will leave it out for free choice/ center time and the children will take turns acting out my part as well as simply re-doing the activity and reinforcing the skills, awesome right?!

More Circle Time Activities

Click on the images to be taken to the preschool circle time lesson plans below. These activities are all similar in length and are interactive so preschoolers are engaged and involved in the activity every step of the way.

More Literacy Activities

I love helping preschool teachers bring fresh new ideas into their classrooms that help children build stronger literacy skills in fun developmentally appropriate ways! Click on the images to check out these great letter and literacy activities for preschool.

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Letter Activity for Circle Time - No Time For Flash Cards

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This letter recognition activity focuses on differentiating between upper and lowercase letters. The deeper I dove into how we teach early literacy the more I discovered that there are multiple "right ways" of introducing letters. When I am asked what the right way is, instead of a specific letter order, I say that we start with meaning and continue teaching in a meaningful way.

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The hula hoop challenge is a great way to get the kids body moving. It promotes teamwork and cooperation as kids get the hula hoop around the circle. For older kids, you can split the group in half and see which team can do it the fastest.
Whitney Andrews

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Development Goal

To develop cooperation and teamwork.

Before You Start

Have group form a circle, holding hands.

Demonstrate how to get body through the hula-hoop without using hands.

Check for understanding.

Set Up

Designate a play space in which everyone can stand in a circle.

How to Play

Place the hula-hoop over two people's interlocked hands so it cannot escape the circle.

Explain that the goal of the game is to get the hula-hoop all the way around the circle without anyone letting go of their teammate's hands.

Have group cheer each other on.

Once complete once, discuss successes and challenges and try again.

Variations

Have the group beat a chosen time.

Play with eyes shut.

Divide the group in two circles and have them compete.

Pre-K: Have students stand in a circle with plenty of room between them. Start by walking around the circle with the hula hoop, helping each student practice going through it. Then set up the challenge without holding hands, simply going through the hoop, then passing it over to the next person. After they have done this successfully many times, have them try it holding hands. Adult should walk along with the hoop, helping students as needed.

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To develop cooperation and teamwork. Have group form a circle, holding hands. Demonstrate how to get body through the hula-hoop without using hands. Check for understanding. Designate a play space in which everyone can stand in a circle. Place the hula-hoop over two people's interlocked hands so it cannot escape the circle.

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During circle time sing songs that can be danced to. This will help the kids learn about beats, and gain balance, and they will have fun doing it! Movement and dancing is very important for children.

Samantha Smith

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This is a great game to play during circle time to help teach children letter recognition and/or letter sounds. Or another way to play instead of using just letters you could put grade level sight words on the cards for example "I have the, Who has you."
Heather Chase

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2 Ways to Play!

Pass out the cards to students. Have them sit in a circle. Pick a child to go first. They stand and read their card. (Your students may not be able to read yet, but they quickly catch on to how the game is played and "read" their cards accordingly.) The child with the correct answer stands up and reads their card. Play continues until all cards are read. To make this a REAL challenge, time the students and have them try to break their own record!

Game 1: Say the letter. "I have A. Who has F?"

Game 2: Say the sound. "I have /a/. Who has
/f/? The pictures on the cards will help
students remember the letter sounds.

***This item is also included in our Back to School Lessons and Activities Mega Pack. If you purchase the "Back to School" Mega Pack you DO NOT need to download this also!

You can check out the Mega Pack here! Back To School Lessons and Activities Mega Pack: Cruisin' Into Kindergarten

Thanks for looking!
Page and Cristy

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2 Ways to Play! Pass out the cards to students. Have them sit in a circle. Pick a child to go first. They stand and read their card. (Your students may not be able to read yet, but they quickly catch on to how the game is played and "read" their cards accordingly.)

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In this activity, students pass around a "crocodile" filled with letters. After a song is chanted, the student picks a random letter from inside, identifies it, and shows the class. This activity is highly interactive, includes a song, and has built-in flexibility. Teachers can add numbers, switch cards (like Uno), and incorporate movement.
Thomas Urbanak

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Fun children's learning activities, including printable templates, for preschool, kindergarten and elementary school kids.

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The spiderweb icebreaker is a fun and interactive activity that allows the class to get to know each other. It can be modified in many aways based on the teacher and/or classes preference. The most common way I have seen it played is one person starts with a ball of yarn and shares their name and either a word to describe them or a word that starts with the first letter of their name. Once they have shared this information they hold onto a piece of the string and toss the ball to whoever has not gone yet.  Based on the age of the group after everyone has gone you can start again but have the person with the ball have to say the name and adjective of the person they are tossing to.
Anna Nault

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This icebreaker game is often called "spider web" because at the end of the icebreaker, a large web of interconnected strong or yarn will be created. You can use this icebreaker to discuss interdependence on one another, picking up the slack for another person, uplifting others, and teamwork.
Description
Sitting in a circle, youth toss a ball of string to someone else in the circle. The person receiving the string must name a quality, item, or something else related to the topic or keyword.

Resources
Ball of string or yarn

What to Do
In the classic variation of this icebreaker, students introduce their name and one characteristic about themselves before tossing it to another person in the circle. Here's how it works:

1. Sit the group on the floor in a circle with everyone facing inward toward the center of the circle.

2. Tell everyone your name and one characteristics about yourself. You could also have everyone answer the same a common question like "What is your favorite ice-cream?"

3. Holding firmly to the end of the string, toss the ball of string to someone in the circle who has not yet received the string.

4. The person receiving the string gives his/her name and one characteristic.

5. Then, holding firmly onto the string, he or she tosses the ball on to another person.

6. The string should be held tightly and above the ground at all times.

7. Continue until everyone has received the string at least once and told the group their name and one characteristic.

Variations:

Use this icebreaker to discuss how the members all depend on each other.
The first person who receives the string introduces him/herself and role in the organization or group. Then before tossing the ball to another person, tells how he or she is dependent upon that person.
Taking it to the Next Level

1. Have someone in the group pull the string - What happens?

2. Have everyone pull the string tight then cut the string in the middle - What happens?

3. In what ways does this string represent various relationships in the group?

Our relationships are intertwined and connected.

If a single person pulls the string it affects everyone in the group to varying degrees, depending on how closely they are connected.

If one person's string is cut - the relationship is broken, it affects all.

We need to support each other and not let others down

Action Point
What is one thing you will commit to do in order to support others in the group?

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world's most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.
Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

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5 (5) This icebreaker game is often called "spider web" because at the end of the icebreaker, a large web of interconnected strong or yarn will be created. You can use this icebreaker to discuss interdependence on one another, picking up the slack for another person, uplifting others, and teamwork.

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During circle time, each kid will bring something in from home that is represents something to them or something they find special and share it to the class. This will help the students connect to each other on a deeper level and be able to grow comfortable with each other.

Cynthia Sheeran

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Show and Tell Part One - The Benefits of Show and Tell

Show and tell (or show and share) is usually the first opportunity young children have to stand up in front of a small group and speak. The opportunity to do a show and tell might come up in kindergarten, or once they start primary school. It is a wonderful introduction to public speaking as children are often given the option of speaking about a topic they know well and are interested in. Speaking about something you love always makes you love it even more!

When you are asked to help your child prepare a show and tell, remember the positive impact it can have on his or her confidence and communication skills!

There are many benefits of show and tell for children, but here are a few:

Practising public speaking will build confidence in most people. Show and tell is the perfect place to start - speaking about something you know and are interested in, and allowing confidence to develop in a safe and familiar environment. Practising public speaking regularly, means it will usually begin to feel easier as you get older. Children will also become more comfortable contributing in class and asking questions.

Awareness and Gratitude

The process of preparing a show and tell encourages children to consider the importance of a special item and appreciate its significance in different ways. Preparing a show and tell about a holiday or an old family war medal for example, allows them to form an opinion and think about how it makes them feel.

Researching a topic they are interested in, thinking creatively and expressing their ideas during their talk, allows children to develop a sense of pride which boosts self esteem. Being at the centre of the class's attention and experiencing the class listening to them speak about something important to them, will help to build their confidence.

Oral Language Skills and Communication

Speaking in front of a group is an effective activity to encourage the use of descriptive language and develops a child's ability to retell stories - in turn leading to improved communication skills which are important throughout their lives. They also develop the ability to answer questions well.

Active Listening Skills

Being part of a show and tell audience is also an important part of learning. Most importantly, the audience learns to sit still and listen closely to someone other than their teacher, and to be be respectful. As a result, they learn to consider their own ideas, think of questions about the topic and raise their hand to ask their question in a well mannered way. This isn't something all children feel comfortable doing but given enough opportunities, they will learn that all questions are good questions and nothing bad happens if you ask a question or share your ideas.

Show and tell can also act as an ice breaker and help children connect with their peers in new ways. For example, during a show and tell children may learn new things about each other and may chat at break time if they have discovered they've been to the same place on holiday or played the same sport.

In Speech and Drama classes, children find themselves in a safe and welcoming environment where they can work on public speaking skills in more depth. Our teachers are always available to help our students prepare a speech they have to present outside of class, from these early show and tell activities through to persuasive speaking for older children.

[quote] I noticed immense positive changes in him including freely expressing himself and creatively thinking about different imaginative personas to share his brilliant ideas. ~ Parent [/quote]

You might also like to read our tips for choosing a show and tell topic!

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Show and Tell Part One - The Benefits of Show and Tell - Speak Up Studio

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Show and tell (or show and share) is usually the first opportunity young children have to stand up in front of a small group and speak. The opportunity to do a show and tell might come up in kindergarten, or once they start primary school.

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It's really lovely when you can work speech, cognitive, and academic concepts into physical activities. This one, from The Inspired Tree-house, can really help children increase their control over their own motor skills, and help them learn about animals all over the world. It involves placing strips of tape at different intervals, depending on the animal, and asking your students what they thing that animal would jump like as they move from tape piece to tape piece.
- Tovi DeGroot

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Physical games for kids are a great way to get little ones engaged in their learning! This whole-body movement game is perfect for kids of all ages.

It's always awesome when you can work language, cognitive, or academic concepts into physical games for kids. It gets them moving and learning and that kind of learning is the kind that really sticks!

To close out our animal series, we have a game that will have your kids jumping like animals found all over the world! You know how we roll around here - MOVE TO LEARN!

Today, we will be jumping long and high like kangaroos, fast and low like bunny rabbits, from all fours like frogs and, for a challenge, as far as we can like monkeys!

Is jumping still challenging for your child? Check out these ideas for teaching your child how to jump.

This activity is straight from the pages of our book, Playful Learning Lab for Kids! Get your copy today and learn how to use this activity as part of a whole-body math lesson to target the concept of measurement. In the book, you'll find ways to maximize the sensory experience in this activity and other fun ways to use this activity for learning.

What you'll need:

-Masking tape
-A marker
-Paper

What to do:

Put 4 strips of masking tape on the floor that are each about 10' long. Write the names of the following animals, each on its own piece of paper: kangaroo, rabbit, frog, monkey. Tape one of the pieces of paper on the floor at the start of each line of tape.

For the kangaroo, use the marker to mark the tape at intervals of about 3'. For the bunny, put a mark at every foot. On the frog's line, place a mark every 2 feet. And for the monkey, leave the tape blank.

Talk about how each animal would jump and then encourage your child to make her way across each of the lines of tape jumping like the designated animal. Long, high jumps for the kangaroo. Short, quick jumps for the bunny. Low jumps on all fours for the frog. See if she can hit each of the marks you've drawn on the tape. On the monkey's line, see how far she can jump, mark it and see if she can beat her distance the next time!

How to change it up:

-Practice these skills outside using sidewalk chalk on the driveway!
-Challenge your child to think of other animals that jump and come up with descriptive words to describe how they jump.
-Be silly and put the animals in reverse! Can your child jump like the animals above, but backwards?

Skill areas addressed: Gross motor skills, cognitive skills, coordination, balance, sensory integration, motor control

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Physical Games for Kids: Jumping Animals - The Inspired Treehouse

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Physical games for kids are a great way to get little ones engaged in their learning! This whole-body movement game is perfect for kids of all ages. It's always awesome when you can work language, cognitive, or academic concepts into physical games for kids.

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Put the children in their morning circle. Then roll a die (or dice) and pick an activity. "Shake your right hand 4 times if you roll a 4" "jump up and down 6 times for rolling a 6". Maybe with older kids the ones who do it wrong could be out and the winner gets a prize.
Carrie B
https://www.learning4kids.net/2011/10/09/getting-active-with-dice/

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What do the things in the group have in common? To gather up some pieces of like monoply game pieces like a horse, shoe, soccer cleet, cup of soda, milk carton and than putting objects out on the floor to take 1 away and have the kids guess is always fun.

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What do the things in the group have in common? To gather up some pieces of like monoply game pieces like a horse, shoe, soccer cleet, cup of soda, milk carton and than putting objects out on the floor to take 1 away and have the kids guess is always fun.