Circle time games: Why you should be making time for Circle Time in EYFS

The benefits of Circle Time in EYFS are huge. For one thing, it is a really brilliant way to get to know your class or group. Circle time games also provide great opportunities for developing social skills as well as improving listening and attention skills, gross motor skills, cognitive development, community building, and encouraging emotional intelligence.

Below, we’ve pulled together five of the best Circle Time games for Listening and Attention, Memory, Teamwork and most of all, these games are all Fun!

There are even more Circle Time Games and details of how to play them in our Circle Time Games resource, which is available to download on our website or just click the link.

Eyfs Circle Time Games Resource | Classroom Secrets

But first......

How to have successful Circle Times

You want your circle times to go well, with the children engaged and happy but also behaving appropriately. So here are a few quick tips to help make your Circle Times run smoothly.

• Be clear with your expectations, listen when others are speaking.

Always explain your why.... ‘We need to listen to others so that we can hear what they are saying.’

• Keep sessions short (5 – 15 minutes)

Attention spans of children are short and so even if your Circle Time is the most amazing and fabulous ever, it is worth noting that children especially aged 3-5, will struggle beyond 15 minutes.

• Use a variety of activities to maintain interest 

Sometimes children will have their favourite circle time activities and experiences, but it is also a great idea to keep trying out new ones as it gives them the opportunity to develop new skills.

• Incorporate movement and songs wherever possible

Children love to move and sing so try to incorporate this when you can. Many of our recommended Circle Time Games listed do just this!

• Think about how you use your voice – vary the volume

This is such a simple but effective technique to keep children engaged!

• Praise participation and good listening

A classic behaviour management strategy but one that keeps the children motivated and enables them to understand what is expected of them.

• End on a positive note, praise for the group and positivity - what went well?

Try to focus on the positives. Maybe the game doesn’t go so well but the children still listened brilliantly. Perhaps the children talked over one another, but it was really clear that the enjoyment was there.

Gathering the children in a circle

So, you’ve managed to get the children’s attention, but just how do you get them to make a circle, spread them out and then sit down so that they aren’t all on top of each other?

Firstly, it’s all about practise, and check, when you say ‘circle’ do they know what a circle is?

Secondly, have you tried using a song or a rhyme to help?

This is a great rhyme to help to gather the children in a circle.

Let's all get in a circle, a circle, a circle

Let's all get in a circle so big and round

Let's spread out in a circle, a circle, a circle

Let's make enough room so that we can sit down.

Repeat as needed

You could also try for your first few sessions putting out spots or using masking tape on the floor so that children can see where to sit.

Once they have practised it a few times they should have more of an understanding of what is expected of them.

What are some of the best Circle Time Games to play?

Below we have compiled a list of some really great games and activities to try during your Circle Time sessions. We hope that you enjoy them! Remember, there are even more available in our Circle Time Games Resources, just click the link to download.

Eyfs Circle Time Games Resource | Classroom Secrets

Pass the emotion

Great for: Understanding emotions and feelings

You will need: For this game you only really need yourself and the child although simple emotions cards to discuss at the beginning may be useful.

You can find these on the website or click the link: 

KS1 Children S Mental Health Week Carousel Of Activities Resource | Classroom Secrets

This activity is great for eye contact, turn-taking and thinking about emotions. It shows how our faces and bodies change as our emotions do.

Pick an emotion, a well-known one starts the game off well so if you pick ‘happy’ start with a good smile.  

In a circle, the adult does a great big grin to the child next to them and ‘passes’ the smile to the child next to them. Then the children need to turn to the child next to them and pass the smile along. You may need to give occasional reminders and encouragement; some children may find this hard. Once the smile has gone all the way around the circle, you can pick another emotion.  

You could pass:

• Sad – pushed out bottom lip

• Angry - a frown

• Surprised – mouth open and high eyebrows

• Scared – wide eyes, shrinking into yourself

• Excited – a super big, cheesy grin

Crossing the Circle

Great for: Listening and Attention

You will need: Just yourself and the children

Create a large circle with spaces between each child as this activity involves movement. Assign each child to be a movement type. You can keep this simple or build up the children's vocabulary.

For example:

Walking, running, jumping, hopping

Or

Marching, leaping, lumbering, stomping

You may wish to demonstrate the movements first.

Tell a simple story – each time one of the types of movement is mentioned the children cross the circle doing their movement to swap spaces.

This is very simple, but effective as the children have to listen closely for their type of movement. 

You can also swap the movements around so that the children get to try out different ones.

There is a script available to support this game in the Circle Time Games Resources: Eyfs Circle Time Games Resource | Classroom Secrets

Don’t Make a Sound

Great for: Listening and Teamwork

You will need: a musical instrument or a noisy object like keys

“Don’t Make a Sound” is a simple fun game, with a musical instrument element. 

Pick one child to sit in the middle of the circle. It would be useful if they had a blindfold to wear, however they can just cover their eyes with their hands. Find either a noisy instrument such as tambourine but you can also use a set of keys. The child in the middle keeps their head down and the children around the edge pass the noisy instrument around, but the aim is to keep it silent. If they make a sound the child in the middle who is blindfolded needs to point at where they think the sound is coming from. If they are right, then they win the game. If the noisy object gets all the way around the circle, then the circle wins. 

You can also play a slightly noisier version of this. A child remains in the middle, blindfolded whilst a noisy object is passed around but this time each child can give the noisy object a little shake. The adult says ‘stop’ and the child in the middle needs to point at who they think it is.

I'm Going on Holiday....

Great for: Memory

You will need: Just yourself and the children!

This is a great game to support the development of memory as well as listening and attention skills. It also allows the children to be really creative. 

The idea of this game is to think about what to put in a suitcase if you were going on holiday. It might be useful beforehand to talk about the different sorts of items you would need for a holiday. 

This game is a memory game so the first child says what they would pack and then the second child follows on with a different item and so on.

At the end of each child’s turn the adult and all the children must try to list everything. For example, ‘I’m going on holiday, and I am going to take....’ 

You could extend this with a reception class and pick out suitable and phonics sounds to pick items that start with the initial sound.

Change Direction

Great for: Teamwork

You will need: a selection of balls, small soft toys or bean bags

This game is brilliant as you can make it a bit more complicated or keep it very simple depending on age and abilities.

Gather the children into a circle

Start off by encouraging the children to simply pass the object around the circle in the same direction. You could incorporate music, so it’s a bit like pass the parcel or just simply say ‘change direction’ and then the object changes direction. 

Sounds simple?

To extend the activity, start adding another ball, soft toy or bean bag at the opposite side of the circle. Then, add another but this time have it so it goes in the opposite direction to the first two. Continue to stop the children, change directions and then add more objects. It all gets a bit fun and silly eventually but the children will love this side of it. 

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