Listening Circle Chat

Objective

Help preschoolers understand why listening and taking turns talking are important and practice these skills in a safe, supportive circle.

Time

5–7 minutes

Materials (optional)

• Ready, Set, Listen Cue Cards

Guidelines for Our Circle

• Sit with legs crossed and hands in your lap.
• Keep eyes on the speaker.
• Use a quiet mouth and open ears.
• Raise your hand and wait for the teacher to call on you.

Discussion Prompts

1. What do we do when we listen to a friend?
   • Follow-up: How do our bodies look when we’re really listening?
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Why is it important to wait your turn before talking?
   • Follow-up: What happens if we both talk at the same time?
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. How does it feel when someone listens to you?
   • Follow-up: Show me your happy listening face.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Can you remember a time when you forgot to listen? What happened?
   • Follow-up: What can we do next time to remember our listening ears?
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Let’s practice together!
   • Teacher: Hold up a Ready, Set, Listen Cue Card.
   • Friends: When you see the card, show me your listening ears—eyes looking, mouth quiet, body still.

Wrap-Up

• Praise children for using listening ears and waiting their turn.
• Remind them to use these skills in our games and activities all day.

Extension Ideas

• Display a “Listening Ears” poster on the wall as a visual reminder.
• Begin each session with this mini chat to reinforce skills.

Follow-the-Leader Action Cards

Use these cards during the partner activity. One child draws a card, leads the action, and the other follows. After two turns, switch roles.

• Jump high 3 times
• Clap your hands 4 times
• Spin around slowly
• Stomp your feet loudly
• Touch your nose gently
• Wave your arms overhead
• Hop like a bunny (5 hops)
• March in place for 4 counts
• Pretend to swim in the air
• Tiptoe quietly across the room
• Shrug your shoulders twice
• Yawn big and stretch arms wide

Freeze Dance

Objective

Reinforce listening skills and self-control by dancing and freezing when the music stops.

Time

5 minutes

Materials

• Music player
• Child-friendly music

Instructions

1. Gather students in an open play area and explain the rules: dance when the music plays and freeze when it stops.
2. Start the music and encourage children to dance freely.
3. Randomly pause the music; when it stops, children must freeze in place like a statue.
4. Praise children who listen carefully and freeze quickly and quietly.
5. Resume the music and repeat for several rounds.

Variations

• Use a Ready, Set, Listen Cue Card instead of pausing the music to signal “freeze.”
• Challenge children to freeze in a specific pose (e.g., on one foot or in a silly shape).

Teacher Tips

• Choose upbeat, age-appropriate songs.
• Keep each round short to maintain engagement.
• Cheer for classmates who listen and freeze well to build positive reinforcement.

Breathing Buddy

Use this friendly buddy to practice deep, calming breaths at the end of our busy day!

How to Use Your Buddy

1. Place one hand gently on your buddy’s tummy.
2. Breathe in slowly through your nose, feeling your buddy’s tummy rise like a balloon.
3. Breathe out slowly through your mouth, feeling your buddy’s tummy fall as the air releases.

Let’s Try It Together

• Breathe In… 1 – 2 – 3 (finger rises)

• Breathe Out… 1 – 2 – 3 (finger falls)

• Repeat two more times until you feel calm and ready to rest.

(Color your Breathing Buddy and keep it nearby to help you remember how to take slow, deep breaths whenever you need a moment of calm.)

Turn-Taking Token Set

Print and cut out these tokens. Each child holds one token when it’s their turn to speak or play. After sharing, they pass the token to the next friend.

• 🎉 My Turn! 🎉
• 🎉 My Turn! 🎉
• 🎉 My Turn! 🎉
• 🎉 My Turn! 🎉
• 🎉 My Turn! 🎉
• 🎉 My Turn! 🎉
• 🎉 My Turn! 🎉
• 🎉 My Turn! 🎉

Feel free to print extra copies if you have more friends. Cut along the edges and place the cards in a basket for easy passing during the activity.

Cooperative Block-Building Kit

Use this simple printable kit to encourage cooperation, turn-taking, and fine-motor control while building a tower together.

What’s in Your Kit

• Block Color Cards (print and cut out):
  • RED
  • BLUE
  • GREEN
  • YELLOW
• Optional Role Cards (print and cut):
  • Builder (adds the block)
  • Timekeeper (reminds when it’s the next person’s turn)
  • Cheerleader (gives friends high-fives after each turn)

Materials Needed

• A set of unit blocks in red, blue, green, and yellow
• Printed and cut-out Block Color Cards (from this kit)
• (Optional) Printed Role Cards

Prep (10 minutes)

• Print two or more copies of the Block Color Cards and, if using, one of each Role Card per group.
• Cut all cards apart and place them face-down in a small basket or envelope.
• Gather enough colored blocks so each color is well represented in the group’s block bin.

How to Play (6 minutes)

1. Divide students into small groups of 3–4 and give each group a basket of color cards and their blocks.
2. If using Role Cards, have students choose one and explain their job.
3. On each turn:
   a. The next child draws one Color Card and shows it to friends.
   b. They find a block of that color and carefully add it to the top of the shared tower.
   c. Place the used card in a discard pile so you cycle through all colors.
4. Encourage quiet hands while waiting and applause or high-fives after each block is placed.
5. Continue until all cards are used or the tower topples—then celebrate teamwork!

Teacher Tips

• Remind builders to place blocks slowly to help keep the tower standing.
• Praise children for waiting patiently, cheering friends on, and helping steady the structure.
• If the tower falls early, prompt: “How can we work together next time to keep it standing?”