Montessori
"But why do you make them sit in a circle?"
“But why do you make them sit in a circle?”
This is a question we often hear.
And honestly, if you walked into our Circle Time, you might wonder the same thing. 😊
Because… there you go!
Someone is standing behind a chechi, quietly exploring a toy.
Another one is sitting there, blinking at absolutely nothing. 😄
One child is singing at the top of their voice.
Another is lying down.
Someone has suddenly decided that this is the perfect time to walk around the room.
And another child is sitting right in the middle, completely absorbed in the story.
So… is this really Circle Time?
Yes. ❤️
Because for us, Circle Time was never created to see how many children we can make sit still.
It is about bringing children together.
It is a little moment in the day where we sing the songs they know, introduce something new, listen to each other, tell stories, move our bodies, laugh together and slowly learn what it feels like to be part of a group.
And no, we don’t expect every child to participate in exactly the same way.
A child standing behind a teacher and watching?
They’re participating.
A child playing with a toy while listening to the song?
They’re participating.
A child who joins for two minutes and then walks away?
They’re participating.
A child who doesn’t say a word but watches everyone carefully?
They’re participating too.
Because children don’t all learn by sitting perfectly, looking at us and giving the “right” answer.
Sometimes, watching is learning.
Sometimes, moving is learning.
Sometimes, doing something completely unrelated while listening in the background is learning.
And sometimes, a child simply needs to know that they are allowed to come closer when they are ready.
So when we do Circle Time at Little Graduates, you may see us singing.
You may see us dancing.
You may see children standing, sitting, lying down, wandering around and coming back again.
And you may even see a child who appears to be doing absolutely nothing.
But we are watching closely.
Because there is always something happening.
We are learning their cues.
We are noticing what catches their attention.
We are figuring out what makes them comfortable.
We are giving them opportunities to communicate, listen, take turns, move, connect and belong.
And yes, sometimes our Circle Time looks a little messy.
A little noisy.
A little unpredictable.
And we are completely okay with that. ❤️
Because our goal isn’t:
“Can we get every child to sit quietly for 15 minutes?”
Our goal is:
“Can we create a few minutes where every child feels that there is a place for them here?”
That’s our Circle Time.
Not perfect.
Not rigid.
Not one-size-fits-all.
Just children being children — together. 🌱