CRAFTS and LEARNING ACTIVITIES
KINDERGARTEN READINESS
Christmas Crafts and Activities
North American Reggio Alliance
Envisioning a world where all children are honored and respected for their potential, capabilities, and humanity.
Children Learn Through Play
CURRICULUM
Monthly preschool packets, linked below, are full of fun, hands-on activities for math, science and art. They include:
  • a calendar of activities to build skills in math, language, science, fine motor, problem solving, social studies, safety, and cooking;
  • a journal for drawing pictures and writing letters and numbers;
  • a book that children can cut out, color and assemble; and
  • suggestions of books to read with your child.
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations
for Early Learning

Practical Strategies for Teachers/Caregivers
Reasons to do circle time:  by Debra Shope
  • Circle time is fun
  • It reinforces skills
  • It builds self esteem
  • It builds community
  • It allows children to practice social skills
  • It allows children to gain awareness of other people's presence and needs
  • It allows children to become more tolerant of other people's ideas
  • It allows children to gain experience in sharing space and attention
  • It allows children to learn how to work cooperatively and take turns

Skills children gain:
Circle time can be used to reinforce most all skills that children will need to be successful in school.

Skills such as:
  • Language and vocabulary development
  • Communication skills and listening skills
  • Social skills such as sharing, feelings and being tolerant
  • Predicting skills
  • Cause and effect relationships
  • Nutrition concepts
  • Safety concepts
  • Health concepts
  • Basic math skills
  • Patterning and sequencing
  • Color recognition, number recognition, letter recognition...

Circle Time Books and Web sites

Story Time Stretchers
by Naomi Baltuck

Story Stretchers for the Primary Grades
by Shirley C. Raines

More Story Stretchers
by Shirley C. Raines and Robert J. Canady

http://www.eric-carle.com/home.html   (Really fun web site for ideas regarding Eric Carle's books.

www.thetoymaker.com (This web site doesn't really tie into circle time strategies; however, it is a really fun web site to get inspiring ideas for small group activities and everything on it is free)