Circle time: Getting on and falling out

Add to My Folder

By Jenny Mosley — founder of the Whole-School Quality Circle Time Consultancy

Explore the theme of friendship with creative circle time

This article was originally written in the context of the SEAL programme (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning), but these circle time activities could be used within PSHE education, or to address specific issues which arise in your classroom.

The three circle meetings here will help children develop a deeper understanding of the importance of friendship. Each meeting focuses on a different aspect of comradeship. The first addresses the qualities that make a good friend, while the next two investigate strategies for resolving conflict and disagreement. The meetings will widen children’s expressive vocabulary and examine their coping skills with which to deal with the ups and downs of friendship. There is an emphasis on peer advice because this gives children a strong sense of their own competency and ability to solve their own problems.