Large Group Teaching Strategies
What is the role of the teacher during large group teaching? How can you implement developmentally appropriate experiences for all children? Learn how to design developmentally appropriate large group experiences and techniques to keep children actively engaged in large group activities including Circle Time, Storytime, and Music and Movement. READ: Large Group Spaces & Routines
What are Large Group Experiences?
Large group experiences are when all the children come together for a group activity at one time. Large group experiences are wonderful ways for preschoolers to enhance their social skills, build attention span and nurture a sense of community. Children often learn by observing their peers interact and solve problems.
There are typically three different types of large group experiences in preschool classrooms including Circle Time, Story Time and Music and Movement. Experience Early Learning provides resources and lessons daily to help you guide Circle Time, Story Time and Music and Movement experiences.
In multi-aged groups, large group experiences allow children to practice teamwork and leadership skills.
Music & Movement Routines
Music and movement activities support cognitive and physical development and are great ways to burn off preschool energy. Additionally, there are many benefits to the child’s development when you include dance in your daily routine:
- Builds confidence
- Physical strength to move and act independently
- Independence, in turn, supports the development of social-emotional skills
- Dancing in groups increases respect for others and awareness of personal space.
Try to incorporate a dance or large muscle routine every day. There are two types of dance:
- Creative movement- “free-style” where children twist, turn and dance however desired and your role is simply to play music, dance along, and observe.
- Functional movement- where your role is to demonstrate a movement and encourage children to mimic you. This can be as easy as shrugging your shoulders or tapping lightly on the floor. Find the core movements poster attached to this training.
Dance requires no large or expensive equipment; it crosses cultural boundaries and differentiates for diverse learning styles, abilities and ages. Whether it is a sunny or rainy day, don’t forget to dance.
In review, your role during Music and Movement is to:
- Play music and dance freely with the children
- Demonstrate a movement and have children try to copy you. Watch a child move and copy the child’s movement
If you need more dance ideas: check out the Dance ‘n Beats Channel on Youtube.