The Secrets to a Successful Toddler Circle Time
Recently one of my readers asked me about circle time with 2 year olds: It occurred to me that I’ve written several circle time posts for preschoolers, but none on circle time activities for 2 year olds. If you have anything to add to this, tips that have worked for you, will you please share them in the comments section? Related post: Brilliant Circle Time Strategies When Kids Can’t Sit Still
How do you prepare a circle time?
I used to use a basket to store all of my circle time props, as shown in my earlier videos. We now have a shelf unit in our circle time area that includes pull out bins, so I have dedicated one bin to store my props. I share it in this YouTube short.
What do you use for them to sit on?
We use carpet squares. They stack nicely and are comfortable. Fidgety hands like to feel the tufts of yarn in them. We don’t place them in a particular order, like we do with our 3 year olds. You can find our current favorite carpet squares here.
How long should circle with toddlers time be?
That really depends on the group of toddlers. At the start of the school year, it’s very short, about 5-7 minutes. We are simply learning how to gather and look at books. Then, we add a short story. Eventually, we can add an activity, such as music and movement. We sing a song that I made up many years ago: Come to Circle Song (Tune: London Bridge) “It’s time to come to the circle, to the circle, to the circle, it’s time to come to the circle, find your mat.” We place a basket of books in the center and they choose one to look at. It’s a nice transition that we also do with our 3 year olds. CLICK HERE to watch the video! Put Your Books Away Song (Tune: London Bridge) “It’s time to put your books away, books away, books away, it’s time to put your books away, so we can start our circle.” Once they put their books away, I remove the basket of books and sing our good morning song. Good Morning Song (Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It) “Good morning, good morning, how are you? Good morning, good morning, how are you? It’s such a special day, I’m glad you came today, good morning, good morning, how are you?” Make sure to check out our favorite playlists! I’ve talked about this in my most popular video, The Secrets to a Successful Circle Time and also Printable Props for Circle Time. Toddlers tend to be more engaged in circle time when you have props, such as puppets and flannel pieces. I love making stick puppets that we can all hold. You can find my free circle time props here! If you’d rather have everything in one download, I offer my most popular circle time props in ONE bundle for a small fee over on Teachers Pay Teachers. Here is my Privacy Policy
