Academy of Mt Juliet Blog

At the Academy, as part of our Conscious Discipline Curriculum, our toddlers participate in Baby Doll Circle Time. 

Here’s why baby doll circle time is important for preschoolers and toddlers, especially when grounded in the Conscious Discipline approach:

---

🌱 1. Builds Emotional Connection and Empathy

In baby doll circle time, children care for a baby doll—feeding, rocking, soothing, and talking kindly.

• This helps them practice empathy and understand feelings (“My baby is sad—what can I do to help?”).

• By mirroring the nurturing behaviors modeled by the teacher, they learn how to express love, gentleness, and comfort with others.

---

💬 2. Strengthens Language and Communication Skills

Through songs, rhymes, and talking to the dolls, children:

• Practice naming feelings and body parts (“Baby is sleepy,” “Baby’s eyes are closed”).

• Build vocabulary and use social language in caring, relational contexts.

---

💗 3. Supports Attachment and Safety (Key to Conscious Discipline)

Conscious Discipline emphasizes that safety and connection come before learning.

• When children “care” for their doll, they experience being the nurturer, reinforcing a sense of security and self-regulation.

• The routine of circle time helps children feel safe and predictable, key to developing self-control.

---

🧠 4. Teaches Self-Regulation and Problem-Solving

Children learn to manage emotions by modeling soothing actions (“Let’s take a deep breath to calm our baby”).

• This helps them practice calming strategies they can later use on themselves.

• Over time, they internalize those skills for their own emotional regulation.

---

🤝 5. Encourages Social Skills and Community

Group circle time with dolls helps toddlers and preschoolers learn:

• Taking turns, watching others, and sharing space

• Practicing cooperation and kindness

• Feeling part of a caring classroom family, a key Conscious Discipline principle

---

In short:

Baby doll circle time is not “just play.”
It’s a powerful way to help young children:

• Feel safe and connected

• Develop empathy and self-regulation

• Build language and social skills

• Experience the foundations of emotional intelligence