Easy Ideas for Community Circles for Better Student Connections

Inside: Tips and tricks for using community circles or morning meetings to help students connect, improve wellbeing, and foster a positive and supportive classroom community. Updated 11/27/24

The magic of community circles or morning meetings in the classroom lies in their ability to transform relationships and create a safe, nurturing environment. These simple yet powerful gatherings are more than just a way to start the day, they’re an opportunity to foster emotional intelligence, boost wellbeing, and build a culture of kindness and respect.

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What are Community Circles?

Community circles are structured gatherings, often held in the morning, where students sit together to share, listen, and connect. Many students look forward to daily sessions where they feel seen, heard, and valued. 

By prioritizing social-emotional learning (SEL) through circles, schools often see a shift in culture. Circle time is a platform for students to express themselves, build empathy, and learn to listen.

When kids feel loved and supported at school, they’re more likely to thrive academically and socially. By reducing antisocial behaviors and promoting kindness, community circles not only enhance student wellbeing but also create a ripple effect of positivity that extends beyond the classroom. 

For students struggling with feelings of isolation or instability, these moments of connection can be life-changing.

Why a Circle Format?

The circle format is both symbolic and practical and promotes equality. Every student has equal access to conversations, including non-verbal cues like facial expressions and body language. Inspired by King Arthur's Round Table, the circle fosters respect, inclusion, and fairness.

Circles work with all age groups, from preschoolers to older students. If older children seem resistant, framing the circle as a method of collaboration and equality can help overcome hesitations.

The Benefits of Community Circles

Circle time allows teachers to acknowledge and celebrate, explore, and share ideas, offer encouragement, or address problems. They provide regular opportunities to develop empathy, practice respect for others, encourage mindful listening, and share appreciations and feelings of acceptance or loneliness. Children learn to communicate, discover commonalities, problem solve, and adopt positive values and behavior. 

Morning meetings can also offer support and healing for children suffering a loss or be effective in addressing difficult or bullying behavior. Circles can be serious or fun depending on the topic but it's important to keep them structured and to the point.

Research indicates that poor emotional intelligence and wellbeing impacts a child's future as a competent and successful community member. With this in mind, it’s worth making circle time a daily ritual.

Participating in Community Circles Teaches Children to:

  • Wait patiently for their turn.
  • Respect others’ thoughts and perspectives.
  • Build empathy and understanding.
  • Learn the importance of listening and not just talking.
  • Open up and communicate in positive ways.
  • Regulate emotions and manage anger.
  • Develop positive character traits.
  • Learn about structure, limits, and rules.
  • Take responsibility for their words and actions.
  • Work together to find solutions and resolve conflicts.
  • Feel part of and contribute to a positive and trusting community. 
  • Build confidence, self-esteem, and resilience.

Types of Circles

Share Circle

Use to reflect on or share after an activity or to brainstorm prior to a project. This type of circle ensures students have a visibility and responsibility to participate in learning activities and contribute to the group experience. Each student is expected to share their thoughts and should be reminded to look at, listen to and not interrupt the speaker. Working around the circle prevents more confident or impulsive students dominating as they must wait their turn.

Discussions should be teacher-directed but child-focused. Frame questions to encourage students to consider experiences in a specific way to build conceptual understanding of a topic or issue. They will benefit by broadening and building their own perspectives by listening to others and testing their own thoughts with an audience.

Including the option to ‘pass’ allows quiet or unprepared students time to think. A few extra minutes lets them consider other responses before they speak when the class has spoken. It also reduces frustration and anxiety if their thoughts are not fully formed or concerns that they will be overlooked.

Care Circle

Daily care circles give children the opportunity to start a day of learning and socializing having ‘cleared’ anything important they need to share, unload, or celebrate. It also provides teachers and peers with an insight into the child’s personal world and issues. This can help to build empathy and understanding of moods and emotions that may otherwise be displayed inappropriately.

Ideally, allow 5-10 minutes first thing each morning or in conjunction with rollcall. Be prepared to allow more time if an important issue arises. If time is short, a note can be made to revisit anything complex at a more appropriate time.

It’s preferable for children to sit in a circle so that eye contact can be made with every speaker. Explain the reason for this as respect for others, respect for the process and tuning into visual and verbal information. It is not compulsory for students to share and they may elect to pass when it's their turn.

Care circles can also help nurture new and existing friendships as children learn more about their peers so be sure to highlight commonalities. You may also like to point out the positive feelings people share and discuss how they can be achieved by everyone.

Restorative Circle

Use a restorative circle to address minor social issues or anti-social behavior to reach a peaceful solution without the need for punishment.

They can be private to just include the conflicting parties together with the teacher or for whole group discussion to problem solve or offer suggestions. Direct discussions to gain insight into the problem and ensure that all parties understand the underlying issues. The teacher will then ask a question such as "how can this issue be resolved?" to allow children to offer suggestions for a peaceful resolution.

A follow-up circle can be formed again later to check on progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken. If a positive outcome has not been achieved, use this time to re-evaluate the plan and actions to be taken.

Guidelines for a Smooth Circle

It's important to set some basic guidelines for facilitating a smooth-running and effective circle:

  • Lead with Structure: The teacher facilitates unless a student is nominated. Turns are taken clockwise unless otherwise agreed.
  • Use a Talking Stick: An object can help maintain order by signaling whose turn it is to speak.
  • Encourage Respect: Students must listen without interrupting, use positive language, and keep emotions in check.
  • Offer a Choice to Pass: Depending on the type of circle, students may be expected to contribute or may have the option to pass if they do not wish to speak.
  • Be Supportive: Remind students that everyone's opinion matters and that the circle is a supportive and non-judgmental space where no-one is judged.
  • Maintain Confidentiality: Ensure that private matters shared in the circle remain confidential.

Sometimes students find it difficult to open up during circle time or feel their problem is too personal to share with the class. To ensure everyone can be heard, consider making an "I need box" where kids can post a confidential note to let you know they need to talk.  

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Use Community Circles To Build Friendships And Improve Wellbeing And The Classroom Culture.

Community circles are a positive addition to any classroom. Many SEL schools timetable daily circles because of the positive outcomes for students and the insights teachers gain about their kids.

Lis

AUTHOR: Lisa Currie - Ripple Kindness Project
Lisa is passionate about contributing to a happier world by building emotional intelligence in kids through fun and engaging social-emotional learning resources. Her core value is kindness as she believes it to be the “mother” of all character traits. She started Ripple Kindness Project to spread kindness in schools and communities. She is also the founder and director of an outreach program that supports disadvantaged families.  

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