Looking for some fun Preschool or Kindergarten Morning Meeting or Circle Time ideas? How about for your Special Education class? Are you working on name recognition or greeting friends? Check out these 5 quick tips! Simple and effective!
I have used a variety of name/picture combos with my preschool students to help them 1) learn to identify their name, 2) recognize their self in a picture, 3) learn turn-taking and waiting, and 4) keep things entertaining! They love it.
I will use printed names on popsicle sticks, pictures of their faces on popsicle sticks, little pictures with Velcro to post on boards or move around the room, first letters of names, and so forth. Here are a few things I have done.
Are you looking for a simple way to pick names for your preschool or Kindergarten class for Morning Meeting or Community Circle?
I made some easy-to-use name templates with editable names include options for large or small popsicle sticks and three different sets of images. Available in PowerPoint™, and you can edit the names and add the font you like. Great for back-to-school prep!
Check it out, and follow me for more upcoming awesome content!
1. Greetings
I choose a name/face and hold it up and say, "Do we see Jack here today? Where is Jack!!" and we all look around the group and find our friend Jack, and then sing.
And we all have our favorite welcome songs, don't we? Simple hellos set to familiar tunes? So fun! The two I love and use the most are:
Set to "Farmer in the Dell":
Janie's here today, Janie's here today, everybody clap your hands 'cuz Janie's here today.
We change up the "clap your hands" with everything from "stomp your feet" to "hang loose" to "spin around." The current friend gets to tell us what to do for their song.
The other song I use, jeez, I can't remember what the actual tune comes from, but if you have a piano or know notes, it's:
E, C, low G, C (Hello, Marcus)
E, C, D (How are you)
E, C, F (Stand up tall)
F, F, E, D, C (And we'll clap for you)
Hello, Marcus, how are you? Stand up tall, and we'll clap for you.
I like this one because once the name is called, the munchin' stands up, and everyone claps. They love it!
2. Interactive Attendance Chart
Whether I was in-person or virtual, I used a visual attendance chart with names and pictures. Once we do our greeting, we then move that person's picture to "School." As we get through everyone, we can see "Who is at school today?" and "Who is at home today?" We talk about missing our friends and hoping to see them tomorrow. Great Social Emotional Learning connections!
3. Picture and Name Recognition
I use names and pictures with similar goals but differentiated for students in the class.
For example, for my youngest or most impacted students, I may show them just their own face (I have them printed large size on popsicle sticks). "That's Elias!" and then I show everyone the picture, and we all say, "Hi Elias!!!"
For older and more verbal or academic students, I will hold up a printed name (with or without their picture depending on their skill set) and ask, "Who do I have here?" We clap or do a silly dance when our friend recognizes their name or picture.
I also LOVE to make my own classroom visual book that follows the pattern of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Who Do you See?
Also a great way to work on name and picture recognition!
4. Daily Picture Schedule
If you're working with any students with disabilities, I'm sure you're familiar with daily picture schedules! I've used so many different styles and purposes over the years. As far as what I'm talking about here, one of the fun things to do is to use the students' names and pictures instead of tokens to move them along the schedule. Each time a schedule item is complete, I call out, "Let's move our faces!" and we prompt the students to go find their face on their schedule, say "good-bye" to that activity, and move on to the next one (with a HELLO!).
5. Center Rotations
For my little-littles, one technique I found worked REALLY well was to use their printed faces for center rotations. When COVID hit, and we had to keep the number of students in an area very limited, this worked great. Each student was given their own table with all 3-5 pictures of their faces at their table all ready.
When center time came, I'd yell out, "OK, go find your face and make a choice!" They took one of their face pictures from their table and find an open Velcro spot around the room at one of the centers. It was a small room and a small class, so we were able to spread them out, so each center only had 1-3 Velcro spots each. If they wanted to go into a center that was already full of other faces, they had to make a new choice.
As the day progressed, students then also had to learn to make new choices! If their face already had a turn at one center, they needed to find a NEW center to try for the next rotation! It was brilliant! Yes, some tears were shed in the beginning as they learned the system, but once they go it, It. Was. Awesome.
Whatever you decide to do, have fun with it! There is nothing better than seeing a young child begin to recognize their face, their name, their friends, and get so excited to greet and take turns with their classmates!
✤Ready for Weather Bear to help you in your Preschool or Kindergarten Circle Time, Morning Meeting, or Community Circle? This digital version allows you to choose whether you want to have a single-choice for early learners or multiple clothing choices for more verbal or older students.
Your ideas are amazing! Our morning circle name activity for the hear was singing, "the more we get together" with sign language. At the end of the song you point and name every child in the room together. Afterwards we checked in and had each child grab another child's picture and had it to them adding an additional communication opportunity. I love your ideas too. I haven't decided what I will do for next year. So many great ideas! I might even change it up a few times a year. Brilliant Audra!