Circle time works when the songs do the heavy lifting. A gathering song brings children to the carpet without you asking twice, a greeting song gets every name said out loud, and an action song burns off the wiggles before the main activity. This page collects 14 circle time songs for preschool with the full lyrics, the tune each one is sung to, and a short note on where it fits in the session. Six videos are included so you can hear a melody before you teach it.
The songs are grouped by the job they do: gathering, greeting, action, settling, and a weather helper song for the calendar part of the morning. Before the songs there is a short guide to running circle time with 3 to 5 year olds. It covers how long to go, the order that keeps a group settled, and what to do about the child who will not sit. If you need songs for a different moment in the day, the by-purpose section routes you to the rest of the library.
On this page
- How to run circle time that actually works
- Circle time songs by purpose
- Gathering songs
- Name and greeting songs
- Action and wiggle songs
- Settling and closing songs
- Weather helper song
- Circle time FAQ
- Building your circle time playlist
How to run circle time that actually works
How long circle time should run
Plan on about 10 minutes for 3 year olds and 15 to 20 minutes for 4s and 5s. Treat those as starting points. A group of young 3s in September may only manage six good minutes, while a class of 5s in spring can hold a story and a discussion for 25. The honest answer is that circle time lasts as long as the group is with you and not a minute longer.
The arc of a session
A smooth circle has the same shape every day:
- Gather. A gathering song calls children to the carpet and keeps the early arrivals busy while the last few come over.
- Greet. Sing every child’s name. This is the part they wait for.
- Settle. One quiet fingerplay brings hands to laps and eyes to you.
- Main activity. The calendar, the weather, a story, or a counting game. Pick one.
- Move. An action song before attention runs out, not after.
- Close. A short, predictable song that says circle is over and tells everyone what comes next.
Why the same opening song every day
Save variety for the middle of circle. When the opening song never changes, the song itself becomes the signal. Children hear the first line and start moving to the carpet before you finish the verse, and a new child learns the routine from classmates within a week. Change the opener and you are back to giving directions. Keep the same closing song for the same reason. A good morning song like the one below can be your opener for a whole year.
Seating that reduces wriggling
Most wriggling is a spacing problem. Give each child a marked spot: a carpet square, a taped circle on the floor, or a name card on the rug. Leave enough room that elbows do not touch. Put your most restless children beside you or across from you where you can catch their eye, and split up the pairs who wind each other up. Sit at the children’s level.
The child who won’t sit
Do not stop circle to negotiate. Let the child stay at the edge of the group, on a chair or a cushion if that helps, and keep singing. Give them a job: holding the weather card, turning the calendar page, or choosing the next song. Most children join in within a few days once they see that circle is where the interesting things happen. If a child wanders off, an aide can redirect quietly.
Read the room and cut it short
When three or four children have drifted, the group has told you circle is over. Skip the rest of your plan, sing the closing song, and move on. The calendar can happen after snack. Pushing through teaches children that circle is something to endure. Ending on a good note teaches them to come back tomorrow.
Use a movement song to reset
If attention goes halfway through, stand everyone up for one action song, then sit back down for the last thing on your list. A single wiggle song buys you another five minutes with a group of 4s. To move the whole group from the carpet to the next activity, a transition song from the list below does the same job.
Circle time songs by purpose
The songs on this page cover the start of circle. For the rest of the day, these collections are sorted by the job the song does, so you can pull the right one for the moment you are planning.
- Greeting: Hello Songs for Preschool
- Moving between activities: 21 Transition Songs for Preschool
- Lining up: 8 Line Up Songs
- Tidying the room: Clean Up Songs for Preschool
- Weather: 37 Preschool Weather Songs
- Calendar: 14 Preschool Calendar Songs
- Manners: 15 Good Manners Songs
- Friendship: Preschool Songs About Friendship
Gathering songs
These call children to the carpet. Start singing while the room is still busy and keep going until the last child sits. Most of them are piggyback songs on tunes the children already know, which is why they work from the first day.
Circle Time
Original Author: Unknown
Sung to: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
Hush, ssh, quiet please,
Let’s all gather near.
Find a friend and sit right down,
Circle time is here.
Sing it softly and slow the last line right down; it works best once most of the group is already on the carpet.
Make a Circle
Original Author: Unknown
Sung to: “Frere Jaques”
Make a circle, Make a circle
Make it round, Make it round
Make it in a hurry, Make it in a hurry
Then sit down, Then sit down.
Use it while children are still arriving; the rush in the third line gets the stragglers moving, and the tune needs no teaching.
Come Have A…
Original Author: Unknown
Sung to: “Shorting Bread”
Everybody come and have a,
come and have a, come and have a,
Everybody come and have a seat on the floor.
Not on the ceilin’ (point)
Not on the door (point)
Everybody come and have a seat on the floor
Point at the ceiling and the door on cue and the 3s will laugh every time; a good first gathering song for the start of the year.
Circle Time
Original Author: Unknown
Sung to: “Mary had a little lamb”
Come on, everybody it’s
circle time, circle time, circle time…
Come on, everybody, it’s
circle time, please come and sit with me.
The easiest gathering song for young 3s, since everyone knows the tune; sing it on repeat until the last child sits.
Come And Join Us
Original Author: Unknown
Sung to: “Clementine”
Come and join us in the circle
For a fun and happy time.
We will learn and play together
In our circle, yours and mine.
Listen carefully and look closely
Have good manners and be kind
We will learn and play together
In our circle, yours and mine.
A calm opener for 4s and 5s that sets expectations in the second verse, which makes it a good candidate for your fixed daily opening song.
Name and greeting songs
Once the group is on the carpet, sing each child’s name. It takes two minutes and it is the part of circle children remember. Both of these leave a blank for the name, so they work with any class size. If you want more, the hello songs collection has a full set of greeting songs for preschool.
Song For Going To Circle Time
Original Author: Unknown
Let’s sit for a story (or circle)
For story, for story
Let’s sit for story
Please come and sit with me (At this point children start to arrive and we sing…)
(Name) is at story, at story, at story
(Name) is at story; he came to sit with me
Keep singing until everyone has sat down at circle and his or her names have
been sung.
Best for 3s and 4s in the first weeks of the year, when hearing their own name is what gets each child to the carpet.
Welcome To Circle
Original Author: Unknown
Sung to: “Where is Thumbkin?”
Where is ______? Where is _______?
Here he is! Here he is!
How are you today, sir?
Very well I thank you. (child response)
Sit right here! Sit right here!
Sing it once for each child as they arrive; 4s and 5s will answer the question in the song, which gives quiet children a small speaking turn.
Action and wiggle songs
Use one of these as the movement break, or as a reset when attention slips. Do the actions big the first time through, then smaller and quieter on the repeat so the group lands back in a sitting position.
Wiggle Song
Original Author: Unknown
Sung to: “The Bear Went Over The Mountain”
Oh, my hands are starting to wiggle,
My hands are starting to wiggle,
My hands are starting to wiggle,
And So is the rest of me!
The go-to movement break for 3s and 4s; sing it with hands first, then swap in feet, hips and head on later rounds, and finish with everyone sitting down.
Open Shut Them
Original Author: Unknown
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Give a little clap
Open, shut them
Open, shut them
Put them in your lap
Creep them, creep them
Creep them, creep them
Right up to your chin
Open up your little mouth
But do not let them in
Falling, falling
Falling, falling
Right down to the ground
Then you pick them up again
And turn them round and round
Faster, faster,
Faster, faster
Give a little clap
Slower, slower,
Slower, slower
Place them in your lap.
The classic fingerplay for any age; the slower final verse brings a group of 3s and 4s down to lap level and quiet in about a minute.
Hands Up High Fingerplay
Original Author: Unknown
Hands up high
Hands down low
Hide those hand now where did they go?
One hand up the other one too
Clap them, fold them, now we’re through.
A short fingerplay for 3 year olds that ends with folded hands, which is exactly where you want them before the main activity.
Settling and closing songs
Each of these ends with the group sitting down or with hands folded, so they work at two points in the session: right after the movement break, and as the closing song that tells children circle is over.
Right Hand, Left Hand
Submitted by: Kathy
This is my right hand (raise up)
I raise it up high
This is my left hand (up overhead)
I touch the sky
Right hand, left hand (raise one then other)
Roll them round and round (Roll in front of you)
Right hand, left hand
Let’s all sit down !!
Good for 4s and 5s who are learning left from right; the last line lands everyone on the floor, so use it to end the movement break.
Two Little Hands
Original Author: Unknown
Two little hands go clap, clap, clap.. (all clap)
Two little feet go tap, tap, tap.. (all tap)
One little body turns around, and then sits quietly upon the down.
A twenty-second reset for any age; do the actions big, then whisper the last line so the group sits down quietly.
Hands Up High
Original Author: Unknown
Hands up high
Hands down low
Hide those hand now where did they go?
One hand up the other one too
Clap them, fold them, now we’re through.
Same words as the fingerplay above, listed here as a closing song, since the last line ends with hands folded and the group ready for what comes next.
Weather helper song
If the calendar and weather are your main activity, a weather helper song gives the job structure: one child walks to the window during the first part, reports back, and the group spells the word together. There are two versions here; the second is the one the submitter actually uses.
Weather
Original Author: Unknown
Sung to: “Oh my Darlin”
Weather Helper, Weather Helper
What’s the weather outside?
Go and look out the window,
tell us what you see outside.
What’s the weather?
What’s the weather?
What’s the weather tell everyone.
Is it windy? Is it cloudy? Is there rain? or is there sun?
The one I use goes:
Today the clouds are in the sky,
and cloudy is the weather.
C-L-O-U-D-Y, C-L-O-U-D-Y, C-L-O-U-D-Y.
And cloudy is the weather.
Send the weather helper to the window during the first version; the spelling version suits 4s and 5s who are starting to recognize letters.
For more of the calendar part of circle, the weather and calendar collections are listed in the songs by purpose section above.
Circle time FAQ
How long should circle time be for preschoolers?
About 10 minutes for 3 year olds and 15 to 20 minutes for 4 and 5 year olds. Those numbers stretch as the year goes on and shrink on days when the group is tired or unsettled. If several children have drifted, end it early rather than pushing through.
What should a circle time routine include?
A gathering song, a greeting where each child hears their name, one short settling fingerplay, a single main activity such as the calendar or a story, a movement song, and a closing song. Keep the order the same every day. The songs at the start and end should not change, because their job is to signal what is happening.
What do I do if a child won’t sit at circle time?
Keep circle going and let the child stay near the edge, on a chair or a cushion if that helps. Give them a job like holding the weather card or turning the calendar. Most children join within a few days once they see that circle is where the interesting things happen. Negotiating in front of the group makes it longer, not shorter.
How many songs should circle time have?
Three to five is plenty: one to gather, one to greet, one to move, and one to close, with a settling fingerplay if you need it. More than that and the songs crowd out the main activity. With 3 year olds, three songs and one short activity is a full circle.
Should I use the same songs every day?
Yes for the opening and closing songs, because repetition is what turns a song into a routine cue. Rotate the movement song and the main activity so the middle stays fresh. Introduce a new song by singing it two or three days in a row before you expect the children to join in.
What age should circle time start?
A short, informal circle of five minutes works with 2 year olds, mostly songs and a story. A structured circle with a greeting, a calendar and a closing song is realistic from around age 3. By 4 and 5, children can handle a discussion and a longer story inside the same routine.
Building your circle time playlist
Pick one gathering song and one closing song from this page and keep them for the whole year. Rotate the rest. If you are setting up a new class, the back to school songs pair well with these for the first few weeks, when the routine itself is what the children are learning.