Good morning and Happy Monday! I know it’s been a while since I posted last, but I fully blame summer and the wonderful weather we’ve been having… it’s definitely not my fault! Now that I am getting back into somewhat of a more normal and regimented schedule, I want to get back to posting on Rocking Motherhood Mondays! Today, I want to discuss the basics of a Morning Circle Routine and how to create your own for your home.
Here is what my Morning Circle Includes:
I have provided the Amazon links for some of the items that I purchased for our Morning Circle. I found that having these A Morning Circle Routine is an opportunity to teach your little one about the following items:
- Calendar (month, day, year)
- (Relational) Days of the Week (yesterday, today, tomorrow)
- Months of the Year
- Weather
- Seasons
- Numbers (1-100)
- Songs
- Question of the Day
- Stretches
- Story Time
If you don’t want a large morning circle for your space, please check out these blogs for additional versions.
The great thing about Morning Circle Routines is how customizable they are. Give Pinterest a quick search and I am sure you will find something that fits your needs.
How I Operate Morning Circle:
Morning Stretches
I start our morning circle with stretches. Sometimes I just call out different types of movements (march in place, hop like a bunny, reach for the stars, etc.) or sometimes we do ABC Yoga. Just something to get the kiddos awake and focused. Then we sit down and move on to the Question of the Day.
Question of the Day
I try to keep these fun and creative. I like the questions to provoke thought and creativity. Example Question: What would you do if it started snowing pink snowflakes right now? Give your child a chance to explore the idea and be ready to nudge them forward if they get stuck. Now it’s onto the calendar portion.
Calendar
We decide which day of the month it is, what day of the week it is, and then we sing the Days of the Week song. We also figure out what day today is, what yesterday was, and what tomorrow will be. Next, we discuss the weather and season.
Weather/Season
We look outside and use words to describe the weather. We include opening the front door and use words to describe how the weather feels… anything to get the kiddos connecting what they feel and see into words. During this portion, we also discuss the season that we are currently in and how we should dress for this type of weather or season. If you have the availability, it would be fun to include dolls and different types of clothes and ask the kiddos to dress the dolls so they could go outside in the weather. Another way would be to ask the kiddos to draw a picture of how someone should dress to go out in the weather. Just some ideas on how you can expand this section. Now it’s on to numbers!!!
Numbers/Counting
We count together as a group, which I vary from day to day. Sometimes we count 1-100 or 1 to a smaller number, count by twos or threes, etc. You can also have the kiddos decide which number they would like to count to you or you can also have kiddos volunteer to stand up and count on their own. There are lots of fun ways to mix this section up so that it’s not the same day after day.
Songs
This is definitely one of the best parts of Morning Circle for my kiddos! I have a mason jar full of popsicle sticks with a song written on each popsicle stick. Each kiddo gets to pick from the jar to see which song we’ll sing. Usually, we do a few songs, because we love singing so much.
Story Time
I end morning circle with story time. I will try to pick out a book that will steer us toward the next activity, or one that represents something we’ll talk about on this day. Of course, if the kiddos have an additional story they’d love to read, I’m more than happy to do that as well. This creates a great transition for the next activity we are planning on doing.
A Morning Circle is a great teaching tool for your little ones. It’s easy to adjust the setup to fit your child’s needs. Please be aware of your child’s age and ability to sit still as well as their interest level. Children learn best when the environment and material is age appropriate and when they are having fun. Be prepared to be flexible!
As always, I would love to hear how you setup your Morning Circle Routine and how it’s working for you. I would love it even more if you shared pictures. Happy Rocking Motherhood Monday my friends!
Cheers,
Lisa
Sounds like fun!
We just started a group homeschool preschool once a week for our two-year-olds, and I love the idea of incorporating stretching into the morning circle routine. We currently do a song and activity that helps the kiddos practice names, introduce the theme of the day, and do an activity with the letter of the day. It’s a lot of fun!