New Stuff

So, to get back to my "new procedures"...
I really haven't had to do very much to make some good changes. I researched a bit and really found nothing to be that super helpful. So, I did some evaluating of my own...tried to put myself in the children's shoes, and realized that they were getting bored with the old routine. AND, because I have a large number of young ones right now, having to sit in their seat for any length of time is going to be a challange. For now, these are the changes I've made (and they seem to be working):

1. I found new, more exciting songs to go with every part of my circle time. A welcome song, an attendance song, a days of the week song, a date song, and a weather song. Each one is a bit more peppy than my old songs, and I can either add actions or get volunteers to help with each.

2. I am making a conscious effort to pick a "helper" for everything! Keeps them paying attention to who is going to be able to help next.

3. I am keeping things short and sweet. If they are seeming too squirly for something, I hit it quickly and move on.

4. I follow the same routine every single day! Kids ALWAYS do better when they have a routine.

5. I have also changed my curriculum time to include some more interesting and engaging centers, so the kids have something to look forward to.

I am not perfect, and I'm sure as the next few weeks go by, I will again need to tweak things. But, for now it has helped tremendously.