transitions

FunShine Tells: Classroom Transition Strategies

| Chalimar Rios

Changes in daily activities and routine, especially if it’s one you enjoy or prefer, can sometimes be difficult to understand or frustrating. Classroom transitions are just that for children—they are changes throughout their day that they may not understand or want.

Imagine a child exploring music and enjoying dancing. How hard would it be for that child to understand that music time is over, and it is time to move on to a calmer activity, such as meal or nap time, if it’s announced suddenly, without warning? Follow these six suggestions to help children understand changes in classroom structure to make transitions just another fun part of their day.

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Tips for a Successful Circle Time

| Teresa Narey

What is circle time?

Most early child care or preschool educators will tell you that circle time Singing and Clapping During Circle Timeis a staple in their settings. But what is circle time, and how can we do it well? Circle time comes from the tradition of Friedrich Froebel, a German educator responsible for implementing the first organized kindergarten in the mid-19th century. For Froebel,  circle time was a time for children to learn and play in group activities. Circle time then was much like it is now in many school communities—it happened at the beginning and end of each day to help children focus and to reinforce community. Circle time included music and movement, as well as fingerplays and storytelling, and in many settings, these activities still comprise the time. The word “circle” describes the position of the educator and children during the activities—they may sit or move in a circle depending on the activity.

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Singing Through the Day

| FunShine Express

by Judy Mullican

Singing and Clapping During Circle TimeSongs and young children go together like cake and ice cream! I once asked a mother of young children if she thought her children were ready to learn a certain concept. She told me, “They can learn anything if you put it in a song.” There’s a lot of truth to that! Just think how easily children learn advertising jingles they hear only a few times!

There are many ways you can use songs to make your day go more smoothly. Here are a few ideas:

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