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Preschool Teachers Chatboard

Advice

by Chloe

Feb 11, 2018

HI. I've just started work in a nursery in the preschool room. The children seem to be running about doing as they please. There are activities but the children aren't really accessing them. Should there be some circle time, adult interaction, direct teaching of some kind?

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floater Everything I'm about to tell you is easier said than done XD There should always be those things; no matter the preschool age group. Nursery makes me think infants (0-2yrs), so if your kids are toddlers, let me know and I'll comment something else. But for kids 2 and younger, circle time is basically adult interaction. It's not usually with all of ...See MoreEverything I'm about to tell you is easier said than done XD There should always be those things; no matter the preschool age group. Nursery makes me think infants (0-2yrs), so if your kids are toddlers, let me know and I'll comment something else. But for kids 2 and younger, circle time is basically adult interaction. It's not usually with all of the kids at the same time because getting a one-year-old to 'listen' is...impossible.They're just not capable of it yet (patience is key.) So circle time can be one with one to maybe four or five kids where the teacher - you - does finger plays, or reads a story, or gives the child a certain toy (usually sensory; sensory bottles are the coolest things...if you get the lid fastened on right lol) and asks specific questions; "Do you like the bright colors, Ashton?" "Jaylee, Do you like how soft it is?" "Does that feel weird, Brandon?" or statements; "Look at it swirl, Kelsie," "Noah, do you see the bunnies in the book? They're hop-hop-hopping." There's not a whole lot of direct teaching (indirect would be things like with the sensory bottles or reading a book where they happen to pick up on things) unless you plan to break out the flashcards- something I personally am strongly against because it's hard to use them in best practice. When you do indirect though, if they ask questions- answer. It may seem stupid, it may be repetitive, you may not even understand (in this case just say something like 'oh yeah?' or 'really?' and they'll say 'yeah' and move on), but it is super important that you acknowledge their question and answer. Everyone wants to be responded to. Even infants. Gathering a small group (or trying to get all the kids involved if you're feeling lucky) could be beneficial if you sing a song, do a dance, read a book, or do a finger play with them. Never expect every kid to be interested. And at that age group, definitely, expect them to lose interest fast. When they do, that's alright. It's called redirection - something that can also be done when they're throwing a fit. Simply direct them towards another activity or toy (especially if another kid takes the one they had) and they're short attention spans take care of the rest. Let me know if that helps?

Feb 22, 2019

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