This is a post out of the 31 Days of Morning Circles. You can find the main page for this series here.

Note: If you’re reading this series for the first time, I suggest you look at the daily structure post to understand the routine we follow in our morning circle.

Because the opening activities are often done sitting or standing in one place, it’s a great idea to get a little movement in the main activity part. Some children have a short attention span and may require a brain break in the circle.

I try to incorporate as many songs with movement as possible in the morning circle. I leave the more elaborate movement activities for later in the day or week. However, I keep it tight in the circle because I don’t want to lose my son’s attention since following the main activity is a closing activity that I treasure.

Below is an activity you can do in tomorrow’s circle, even if the child requires support with mobility.

Movement activity in the morning circle

The Hokey Pokey

Put your right hand in,
Put your right hand out,
Put your right hand in,
And shake it all about,

Do the hokey pokey
and turn yourself around
That’s what it’s all about!

(repeat with the left hand, right foot, left foot, elbows, knees etc.)

Change the body parts as you work on them within your curriculum. Don’t expect the child to know/do them all the first time. Also, keep the child’s physical needs in mind and support them accordingly and always with consent.

Variations

Even though the song is basic, adapt it by eventually adding other objects as you work on vocabulary. For example: “Put your right shoe in,” “Put your left boot in,” “Put your red crayon in,” “Put the blue block in,” etc.

What movement activities do you include in the morning circle?

Resource:

• The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks (affiliate link) – Harness the power of movement to improve focus and to learn with quick exercises designed to wake up the brain to learn

Related Articles:

• Movement Activities
• Adapting Physical Games