Have you ever watched a group of young children happily skip to sit in a circle when it was time for a group activity? Did you wonder, how did that happen so smoothly? I put together a short video to share some of the transition tips that have worked for me in my years as a kindergarten teacher and preschool teacher. Sometimes a few key elements are all you need to turn a scattered environment into a flowing focused event.
Circle Time Song:
Let’s make a circle,
A circle big and round.
For when we have a circle,
No ending can be found.
Do you have a song that works magic at your house? Please share it with us!
I’m a former elementary school teacher, and homeschool mother of two, who runs a Waldorf inspired home childcare/preschool. 
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Great tips! I always loved circle time as a preschool teacher, and it’s so true that it’s simple when the children are well prepared and have a consistent routine.
Great idea, I’ll defiantly try this when I teach in a day care.
Oh goodness, I love it but I had to watch it because I couldn’t figure out how “wide” and “found” rhymed. lol. It’s round…got it!
I love the wind chime idea. I try hand claps, but that gets annoying and doesn’t break through the ‘din’ as much.
Kathleen, thank you so much for catching my typo! I didn’t even realize I wrote ‘wide’. Busy days + late night blogging = one tired care provider 🙂
Our “hoppy helper” of the day rings our bell to alert kids to circle time. We stop,look and listen to hear the message. Most kids come right away, others need a personal invite! We sing
Come on over , come on over, come on over to the rug, find a seat, find a seat , find a seat on the rug (tune of oh my darlin’)
I love the wind chime idea too, sound soothing.
Awesome! Where did you get your train whistle? I went to Amazon to search for one and found that most of them don’t sound as deep as yours.
It was a gift but I think it came from Lee Valley. http://www.leevalley.com/US/gifts/page.aspx?p=70136&cat=4,53201