Circle time games

We spend a lot of time at the start of the school year focusing on getting the children to sit on the carpet and how to listen to others, so here’s three grab and go talking and listening games you can play with all ages to help teach those skills in a way that sticks.

The Island Game

The island game is a firm favourite in my classroom and it couldn’t be easier to do. This one really emphasizes the children listening to their peers in order to build on their answer and figure out the connection they need to end the game.

It starts with you deciding on a theme, but don’t tell the children what that theme is.

The golden line is “I am going to desert island and I am bringing…” and insert something that fits into your theme. \

Let’s say you have chosen farm animals, “I am bringing a sheep”.

Then you go round the circle and the children repeat the statement and add what they would bring. If it fits your theme, say yes, you can bring that! If it doesn’t, you say they cannot bring it. Once they think they know the theme, they can guess it and you can move on.

I particularly like this game because it can be as challenging or simple as you need it to be and you can build in other aspects of your learning such as topics.

For older learners, you can add multiple rules (for example, a multiple of 6 and fruits - I am brining 6,12,18 apples/oranges etc).

Pass The Question

Another one where the children really need to focus on listening to their peers and a great getting to know you game.

“My name is _______ and my favourite animal is______”

It doesn’t need to be about favourite animals, the question can be anything that you decide to make it but you pass the question along.

Before answering about themselves, the children must acknowledge what came before them.

“Thank you ______ for telling us your favourite animal is _______. My name is _____…”

Simple, yet effective.

This one is a real hit!

The Number Game

This one focuses on non-verbal communication and tries to encourage children to not blurt out.

You choose a number, it must be equal to or less than the number of children in the class.

The aim is to reach that number collectively but there’s a catch. Only one person can say the number, if two people say it at the same time, it’s back to the start you go!

The higher the number, the harder the game but be warned, this one gets competitive!