What steps to follow for a successful large group/circle of 3,4,5 year olds numbering from 11 to 19 students?

Question

What steps to follow for a successful large group/circle of 3,4,5 year olds numbering from 11 to 19 students?

Answer 1

There is a big difference in the attention span of the 3 year olds and five year olds, so as mentioned, I would keep it short, add some interactive elements to keep them engaged (fingerplays, puppetry, etc.) and have the expectation going in that there is no way you could get the undivided attention of 19 children everyday!!

Answer 2

Keep it short - children need to be up and down. So, if you read a story, the next thing you do is stand up and sing a song or dance. Just remember that you can't expect a child to sit still for very long.  At preschool, our goal is to sit for longer periods of time for kindergarten readiness but never longer than 15 minutes.  does this answer your question or were you looking for specific  games and/or songs?

Answer 3

keep it short, keep it active, and fun.  Those many kids...I would recommend Freeze dancing.  Grab a CD player and some kid friendly music and go for it.  Make simple rules. 1. spread out so you don't hurt your friends. 2. No break dancing (most boys like to try that out) 3. Freeze when the music stops!! 4. Have fun

Answer 4

Keep it short, active between stories or questions or directions. The children need to be involved in the classroom at this age not in a circle for a half hour or even fifteen minutes listening to a teacher. You can even have two or three short circles during the class time. Maybe one for opening and one for closing. Just remember children learn by doing and it is the process not the product that is important.

Answer 5

It should be no more than 10 minutes and no child should be forced to participate. Make it meaningful and involve music and movement.Attendance through a good morning song is meaningful. A calendar is not.  Make it an opportunity to talk about topics the children enjoy. Use it as planning time for the day. If you have a group that does not do circle well break it up into pieces that you use as transitions between other activities.

Answer 6

To have a successful large group time, the secret revolves around routine.  They should know what to expect and when to expect it.

You're going to have to decide if you want to have this on a regular basis or not.  When the children know what is happening, they are more actively participating or focused on the large group.

Like most everyone else said, you have to be careful of your time.  The meeting doesn't have to stop after x*x amount of minutes, but what their attention is on does have to change.  So if you're thinking 15 minutes (like some suggested as the limit), their focus has to change in that time period.  

I started every day with a small group and I think it was a great way to get the children focused.  I started by greeting the children and asking them how they are.

I would then go into reading a story or 2, depending on how long they are.  The story can either be a story or a children's book about a subject we are learning (i.e. insects).

Next, I would give a presentation on a material in the classroom.  This can either be done to the whole group or it could be divided up by another teacher - I teach the older children something and they teach the younger children something.

I then let them choose work one at a time.

15 minute group time, but it was divided up to make it easier on the children.  This is also true in my other field of interest - entertaining children.  As a ventriloquist, I know I have to change my character's story and even the character quite frequently if I am working with children.  Their attention span cannot handle a long set as well.

Matt