These past few weeks, I’ve had about 14 second graders in my “small group.” As I mentioned in an earlier post, 14 kids is more like a class than a group so I need to be very intentional about helping them stay focused.My main tactic for keeping my group on task is to have them get in a circle, hold hands, take a step forward and then sit down. This creates a fairly tight circle with very little space between each kid and we can do activities in the center of the circle. This circle has been wonderful for keeping this many kids engaged.
I sit in the circle also and have all the supplies I need right behind me. This allows me to move easily from one activity to the next without leaving the circle.
Every once in a while, after an activity or two, a child will end up sitting more towards the middle of the circle. It’s very easy to redirect that child by saying, “Tyler, please sit back in the circle.” If the entire group has gotten out of the circle because they’ve moved around during an activity, it’s very easy to have them stand up, hold hands, take a small step forward and sit down again.
I’m loving my circle! If you’re having trouble getting your kids to sit still, you might want to try having them sit in a circle on the floor. It’s worked amazingly well for me!
3 comments:
Great Idea. I have never tried that! I can see how it works. Thanks for sharing that little tip.
last winter when my small group met out in the hall under the tree - I found sitting on the floor very helpful to keep the girls focused. Of course as fifth graders they complained a lot (it's what they do I think :P ) and then my group outgrew the hall space and we've been shifted a few times.
I rather miss sitting on the floor. And I think the chairs themselves are a distraction based on the number of times over the last four years I've been in children's ministries at LFMC I've had to ask kids to sit with all four legs of the chairs on the floor - lol!
Milisa
Thanks for sharing, Liss!
Post a Comment