Circle time agreement

This is a circle time agreement which can be used at the beginning of each session. This is something I am always really strict with. The children soon get into the routine and follow the rules. The only one that I tend to do a bit differently is the right to pass. I have found that some children will pass because they don’t want to speak and the whole purpose of circle time is for everyone to have a voice. I let them pass but go back to them so they say something or anything really.
Download Circletime agreement

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I am a ...

I am a..  – I saw this idea on Pinterest and have had a go myself on my IPAD. I have included a download for you to use but depending on the age of the child they could draw their own letter shape. I think it would look fabulous if it was decorated and either filled with words or pictures. They could draw the pictures or even cut out pictures from magazines.  I know when I did it I really had to think about all the things I could do. A really positive exercise for children to do and a real self esteem booster. If you are working with a group or a class I would do a circle time first. It could be a game. Keep going around the circle with ‘I am a… ‘ until all ideas are exhausted. As a group activity you could use the letters ‘WE’ are and children work together in a group to come up with all the things that they ‘are’. This would be great for getting them to find things they have in common. We are ‘artists’, ‘musicians’, ‘friends’, ‘listeners’, ‘happy’, ‘sharers’ etc.
Download: I am a …
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Feelings hunt

Feelings hunt – this would be a good class activity and also an activity that could be taken home. Give each child a sheet and allow them to go around their class mates asking how they are feeling. Be prepared for noise but it is a good warm up activity and allows the children to learn feelings vocabulary from their class mates. Emphasis that the feelings written down need to be different. They can’t put sad in every cloud. This will encourage the children to think of different feelings rather than just the usual sad, happy. This sheet can also be used at home. The child can be encouraged to ask the question ‘How do you feel?’ to their mums, dads, grans, sisters, brothers etc. The more children talk about feelings and learn new vocabulary and what it means the more emotionally literate they will be.
This activity could be extended once the children have collected their words. Who has got the most words? Are there any words you don’t understand the meaning of? Choose one of the words and write about a time you felt like that? Choose one of the words and draw a picture of yourself with that feeling. Draw a cartoon strip of a time you felt like that. Choose one of the words and write down words around it that mean the same. How many of your words mean the same?
The list is endless of how you could use this activity.
Download Feelings hunt class

Conflict resolution mindmap

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