"A Circle's Like A Ball!" by Karissa

“A circle’s like a ball, a circle’s like a ball…round and round, it never stops.  A circle’s like a ball.”  As you can imagine, I have this and all the other shape verses running through my head all of the time!  But you know what…they really work!  For the first time since I started teaching at the pre-kindergarten level, my students are interested and engaged in learning about shapes.  More importantly, they are retaining and transferring their knowledge.  When we see a ball in our large muscle room or on the playground, more than one student says, “Hey! It’s like a circle!”  Similarly when I get out our box of numbers I hear a few mention, “It’s like a square!”  

It seems that with the repetition and fun hand motions, my students have really taken to learning about shapes.  Sometimes I forget that many of them are experiencing these concepts, even the simplest of things, for the very first time.  I have to remember to take a step back and experience them through the eyes of a four or five year old.  It is easy to assume they must have heard about shapes at home or in another preschool setting or on TV.  But really, most of them are at a very basic level.  And those that are more advanced like to learn how to spell the shape or try drawing and cutting with shapes or play “Shape I spy!" 

Just goes to show you, the sometimes annoying, but always engaging songs, and fingerplays are just what our early learners need to be successful.