Gathering songs
Songs or chants can be a good way of encouraging everyone to join in with a communal activity. They can also signal a change of activity or give out instructions in a way that avoids calling out loudly and intrusively.
Here is a collection of of songs for gathering the children together, tidying, or making a circle or line that mainly consist of new words to well-known tunes. Of course these are just the start - there are lots more you can make up yourself to suit your own situation.
If such songs are used regularly and consistently, the children soon only need to hear you begin to sing them and they know what to expect next.
Each of these next sets of words will fit various tunes - try 'The mulberry bush' or 'Girls and boys come out to play'.
What will probably happen is that you use these tunes as a starting point and then quiet naturally begin to develop new words of your own - just see how things work out. And you can certainly think up more words along the lines of the following suggestions.
'Now it's time to tidy up, to tidy up, to tidy up.
Now it's time to tidy up and put the things away.'
'Let's all get together, get together, get together Let's all get together, all here on the floor.
There's (name of child) and ... and ... and ...
Let's all get together, all here on the floor.'
Then, once the children have gathered together, change the words to: 'Here we all are together, all together, all together, Here we all are together, all here on the floor.'
And here are some words which work to the tune of 'Row, row, row your boat': 'Hush, shhh, quiet please, let's all gather near Find a friend and then sit down, circle time is here.
Let us make a ring, laughing as we sing Ringa, ringa, ringa, ringa, ringa, ringa, ring.'
