Circle Time – An Explanation

Come to the circle where dreams are found,

Take my hand, we’ll dance around,

Ha la, ha la, ha la, ha lo,

Round and round and round we go.

Each morning at Nature’s Nest, staff gather the children from their outside play into inside circle time.  Circle time runs between 5-10 minutes and consists of a range of seasonal songs and rhymes specially designed to include finger/gesture games, movement/circle games, songs in the pentatonic scale, and traditional nursery rhymes.  The songs provide a range of benefits to each child.

These benefits include:

• Young children have an innate musicality, love of movement and sense of rhythm; circle time nourishes these.
• Finger and hand movement games develop dexterity and help with brain development.
• Speech development:  songs and rhymes about everyday jobs and tasks which are accompanied by clear gestures, help the young child to come to language as the actions surround the word with meaning.  These songs also provide strong examples through imitation.
• Seasonal songs help celebrate and bring awareness to the natural cycle of the year.
• Singing involves the breath and middle chest region of the body, and helps strengthen and foster healthy development of this area.
• Songs in the pentatonic scale are very harmonious, providing the child with exposure to beautiful sounds and tones that are pleasing to the ear.
• Traditional nursery rhymes have a richness of imagery and rhyme which nourish each child.

Songs and music are a great way of engaging children in an activity; we often use songs to assist children during transition times (e.g. hand washing, tidying up, etc.).  You may like to try this at home – “This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands…before we eat our lunch” etc… to the tune of “Here we go round the Mulberry Bush”.  You may be surprised at how the use of a simple song can turn a ‘chore’ into a fun game!

Kim Edgar-Lane