Mommy Classroom: How to create circle time at home
If you are looking to learn how to manage your mommy classroom and incorporate learning activities then you are in the right place. The mommy classroom series helps you to answer all of those questions.
Perhaps you want to teach your preschooler a few things before they start school, or perhaps you are a work from home mom (WFH mom) that wants to inspire their little one in between calls with a productive learning space. If that is you, then you are in the right place. Here are a few tips to creating the ultimate circle time at home. And just know, “Cirle Time” isn’t just a morning thing. Learning can take place at any time of day.
An invitation to learning Song (Typically the “Good Morning Song”)
Cueing that a lesson is about to begin is the greatest benefit of a morning song. It gets the energy flowing and turns on their listening ears to pay attention for what is ahead. Children can bring out their instruments and sing loudly. Even if they are not up for it that day, they will be more likely to participate after you sing, opposed to not having sung at all. We typically sing “This is the day that the lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it”.
Days of the Week (Identify yesterday, today, and tomorrow)
How do you explain “yesterday”, without using the word “yesterday” to a toddler? That is a tough one. For this reason, each day we acknowledge the day before, the current day, and the day to come. I even suggest placing an activity picture beside each day. If they see a park picture, an ice cream shop picture, and farm picture on a respective day, it will help associate the term with when the activity took place. Ex: Yesterday we went to the park. Today we are going to get ice cream. Tomorrow we will go to the animal petting farm.
Weather
Helping children understand the weather is a major component to helping them understand weather terms and the appropriate clothing to wear as a result. Allow them a quick moment to look out the window, judge the weather, then come back to place gold star on a weather cart. This can easily be made by creating 6 weather pictures (Cloudy, Sunny, Windy, Rainy, Partly Cloudy, Snowy).
Emotions (Identify how you are feeling today)
It is always good to help toddlers understand their emotions, especially during the tantrum phase. This helps them to outwardly convey what is going on inside their heads, as well as internally digest why they feel a certain way. By using a chart of 5-10 emojis, or emotion images, this can help your child identify how they feel that day. At the same time, it will open up communication if they select sad, or angry.
Shapes (pick a shape of the week to build on each week, practice tracing and drawing the shape)
Shapes are a lot of fun. Shapes can be redesigned into craft activities my making “Shape monsters”. Give them googly eyes, pipe cleaner arms and before you know it you will have a Shape monster family.
Numbers 1-20 (pick one number of the week to build on each week, then practice tracing and writing the number)
This helps your little one to count to 20, as well as visually identify number integers between 1 and 20. Take the number “7” as an example. Review what number comes before and after the number seven. This helps them understand sequencing. Make sure to practice the value of the number by counting seven blocks, and from there tracing and writing the number. This is the basis for eventually, helping your child to do greater than/less than activities, as well as adding and subtracting and being able to write the number as the answer. Whew! That was a lot.
Make up a song/jingle to help them remember your phone number (A nice little add in for repetition, and number reinforcement)
Memorization is power for these little ones! Why not focus that energy on your phone number. If they get lost and are able to find an adult, at least they can remember your phone number. If they can remember the 26 letters of the alphabet, they can remember your 10 digit line.
Letters (Review capital letters and lower case letters: Pick a Letter of the week to build on each week, and also practice the sound of the letter, tracing and writing the letter)
First start my setting out all of the letters of the alphabet on a poster or paper. Have your little one sing the alphabet as you point to each letter. This helps them to put a letter to each song letter. Look out for “LMNOP” or “YandZ”. To them “LMNOP” is one concept. By pointing out each letter in the song, you help them to visually identify each one separately. Additionally, you will help confirm that “and” is not a letter, but a matter of speech when singing the song. You are on your way!