Morning Routine & Circle Time Ideas for PreK/K

[Ahayes]

This is my first year homeschooling and not only that I've only been a mom for nine months.  We plan to start school in mid-August.  I'm struggling to design a solid morning routine that will lead into circle time for my six-year-old who is learning English.  Our morning routine is very basic as we tend to need to "go with the flow" of how we both are feeling that day, but we will need more structure once the school year commences.  I am also not sure what to do with circle time and if there is an even a need or if we should just jump right into math/language.  Do you let your child choose which subjects they do first? 

 

I'd love to see what your mornings look like and what activities you do during circle time! 

[Slache]

My son gets to decide.

 

MEMORY WORK: Bible, The Timeline Song.

 

ENGLISH: Phonogram cards, spelling whatever word he wants to, copywork of his choice.

 

MATH: Education Unboxed or unstructured c-rod play.

 

SPANISH: Salsa, copywork of his choice.

 

ART: Art For Kids Hub (free), The Big Yellow Drawing Book, painting.

 

We also like appleletters and geopuzzles. We read aloud about an hour a day from Ambleside Online or Sonlight selections. The memory work and phonogram cards are not optional. Everything else is.

[Rachel]

Since your child is still learning English, you may just want to do a lot of reading. Do you speak your child's native language?

 

My morning time last school year with my 6,4, and 2 year old was while we were still at the breakfast table. We would work on memory verses, read a poem or two, twice a week we would do Song School Latin and then I would read a couple picture books to the kids before we headed upstairs for the rest of school with my oldest. I think your morning time will look different.

 

If you want to do some math, you could try Singapore Essential math. I think it's a little basic for a 6 year old, but with the language barrier it may work really well.

 

Good luck and congratulations!

[Kfamily]

When my girls were that age, we did calendar work. It was very easy to integrate math lessons revolving around a calendar and time. It was also flexible enough that on busy days we could simply discuss the date and play a math game. On other days we might read a book relating to a holiday, discuss and keep a log of the weather, read weather related books, read books related to the seasons, etc.

 

It would be very easy to rotate other circle time type activities such as poetry, religion (if this applies to you), picture books and/or fairy tales, artists and picture study, etc.

 

I also used to rotate the type of work we did at that age, moving from a core skill lesson to a lighter lesson and then back to a core skill lesson. So maybe we would start with our circle time, then move to math, then read a book together or do something creative, then work on reading/phonics, then eat lunch, go outside, etc.

 

 

[Chris in VA]

We opted for devotions over circle time, but next came math; Saxon has a Meeting which is similar to a circle time, with calendar work.

[Renai]

You can start with a fun song that includes pictures, hand motions, and/or gestures that will assist with learning English. Calendar time that includes counting and patterns (circle on one date, triangle on other, circle again, etc. Combine with using one color for different shapes and you have added color and shape vocabulary). If you know a song in the native language, sing it as well, or look one up on youtube to play. It would be great if you find a native song similar to the English song you sing. Write her name and have her practice the English names for the letters. 

 

Is she literate in her native language? If so, that skill will transfer to English. Vocabulary, vocabulary, is important. Always pair with pictures or hand motions that describe what is said. Read stories with lots of pictures so that things can be pointed out. Reading poems (nursery rhymes, etc.) let's her hear patterns of language and rhymes. Making sure all the input (information) she is getting is comprehensible by paring with pictures and such is important at this time, as she is learning new labels for familiar and unfamiliar items and concepts. It would also be good if there is an underlying theme in what you do in circle. That way, vocabulary will be repeated and she will have a chance to practice. If you're reading a book about bunnies for example, the song you sing could be Little Bunny Foo Foo, or something like that.

 

[Targhee]

Our morning Time serves a couple of purposes:

 

1) we are together, and setting the tone for our day (which can quickly become disconnected and frenetic, with 4 kids working at 4 different levels and with outside-the-home activities, if we do not begin with a strong time of connection

 

2) This is where I get to share outside of the curriculum. We can do music appreciation, poetry work, etiquette and habits of mind work, share books read aloud, and set a spiritual tone for the day

 

We start with scripture, vocabulary word of the day, recitation of their individual memory work. Then we examine either a composer, an artist, or a poet and their works. Then we read from either a biographical sketch or short account of a historical event. Depending on how much time we've spent we may work on manners/etiquette, habits of mind, social problem solving skills, or more than one. We always end with read aloud from quality literature choices. The kids usually do a hand craft, draw, or do puzzles while I read (or we listen to audiobooks - our favorite!). We were taking about an hour for this, but I think I will bump it up to 1.5 hours and start while they are finishing breakfast.

 

I don't know the specifics of your situation, but I thought I would share this. A girlfriend of mine adopted two girls from China when the girls were 2 and 4 years old. The older child is special needs, and non-verbal when she came home to their family. She uses Sonlight/Bookshark to homeschool them because it is so literature and language rich. Her younger daughter is thriving and the older has made amazing progress, and the language-rich home environment and learning (we believe) is a huge factor in that. We can't discredit a loving home, parents who are patient and pro-active, and a community of friends and family to support them.

 

Welcome to homeschooling, and to motherhood!!