Preschool education in Singapore has evolved rapidly over the last few decades. With education standards in the country being among the best in the world, early childhood levels have not been left behind. International schools such as Lorna Whiston preschool now set high standards even at the early stages of a child’s learning, and this is good news for parents.
While it might look like all play and fun at the preschool level, there’s a lot the professional preschool teachers do ensure learning continues. Teachers should keep learning more innovative ideas to get the best out of the children.
Circle time is one of the crucial preschool Singapore activities. During these sessions, students take turns to lead circle activities. This post explores more tips to elevate circle time in your classroom.
Circle Time in Brief
It is a form of large group learning where children get an opportunity to learn and experiment stuff together. This community affair involves students and the teacher in a circle.
Circle time allows children to listen to one another and promotes group participation. The teacher can easily introduce new concepts and ideas and allow children to examine them together.
There’s so much you can do together during circle time. From reading together, singing and playing, to storytelling, this is one of the most versatile learning activities at any pre-nursery school in Singapore. Through this group activity, kids can learn to respect each other’s thoughts and also support each other.
With these activities, you can promote socialization as kids learn to get along with each other. These skills will come in handy even out of school.
Creative Circle Time Tips
While circle time is one of the oldest learning activities in preschools in Singapore, many teachers don’t maximise its potential. You have to be creative and think outside the box to guarantee these sessions help your learners. Here are simple tips you should consider for your next preschool circle time.
Time is of Essence
When planning a circle time, always plan all activities based on the time frame of concentration. You want to ensure all children focus on the activities for a session to work. For three-year-olds, their attention span is only five minutes while for four-year-olds activities running for 10 minutes are ideal.
Use Circle Time to Foster Cohesion
It’s hard to teach preschool kids if they don’t have that sense of belonging in your class. Some kids might be reserved, and you should use this time to encourage them to become valued members of this community.
Balance Active and Passive Activities
At the best preschool in Singapore, teachers understand that learners cannot sit continuously for long without getting restless. They balance passive activities like learning words with activities like passing a ball around. This simple tactic keeps the children focused throughout the session.
Set Goals for Circle Time
For some teachers, circle time is just routine whenever they notice students becoming restless. However, this defeats the real purpose of this innovative activity.
You should always have an objective or goal you want to achieve before any session. At the same time, set the time frame within which you want to achieve the learning goals.
Be Flexible
The best teacher is always observant of student behaviour and is ready to adapt quickly to meet their needs and interests.
During circle time, you have to think on your feet and quickly modify the activities if something doesn’t work. Always have multiple back-up activities to suit different learning stages and different ages.
Provide a Hands-on Experience
No learning technique matches a practical lesson. The idea is to ensure your students can see and feel learning resources for better retention. Always gather materials and learning items before you call students to the circle for the best learning outcomes.
Integrate Motion in Circle Time
From dances, games to exercises, there are various ways to create movements in circle time. Using transition songs and chants is a smart way to teach new ideas while also breaking the monotony of reading and writing.
Always be in Circle
The teacher should always be in the circle for this activity to work. The children look up to you and will follow your lead. You have to come down to their level and make every session exciting with stories or creative activities.
Prepare Well
You should not use circle time as a spontaneous activity to get you out of your boredom. Instead, collect visual aids and other learning resources beforehand and prepare what you want to teach. Teachers at top international preschools in Singapore have diverse resources and it’s a big win for the children.
Mix Routine and Creativity
Most teachers have a routine for circle time, and this helps because students can look forward to the activities. However, you should remain flexible and adapt new ideas to make the sessions enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
If you are a teacher, you appreciate how critical circle time is for preschool teaching. These are a few ideas to elevate your sessions and make them more productive. It’s good to keep innovating to ensure students get the nest out of circle time activities.
