If you prefer clusters for collaborative work, then give it a try! Your students will be able to handle this setup if you provide clear expectations and a curriculum that encourages group work and discussions. Have regular class meetings to discuss behaviors that help learning and behaviors that distract from learning. Create a class rules list with your students. Also, try to keep the number of students at each table on the small side. Too many students at each table could be overwhelming for both you and your students. If the table arrangements don't work, you can always change it later on.

Your students will surprise you! Kindergarten is definitely capable of sitting in clusters for collaborative work. You just have to be very thorough with teaching expectations and procedures that correlate with these groups and reinforcing these behaviors. You may have to make adjustments like separating certain students or placing an apprehensive student with a group that will encourage him or her to participate more, etc. I have seen clusters work excellently for the high-energy, talkative students because they're getting the interaction they need within their classwork.

I would suggest trying out the group/table seating, and if it does not work there are other seating arrangements you can try. Kindergarteners can be a lot to handle at first, providing students with classroom structure is very beneficial. If your students become distracted, I would suggest trying different transitional techniques to help them stay focused. For example, clapping your hands or ringing a bell. As for the expectations, I would create a poster with all of the rules and hang it up on your classroom wall. Another idea is to create a fun song that lists the expectations which help students learn the rules, while they are actively engaged in the lesson.

I've always loved the idea of teaching primary students to make the choices best for them and their learning. So if you want to set up clusters, I would tell the students that the seating arrangement can change if it's not the best choice for them. I would make changes until until you find your flow and what works best for your kids!

You should give it a try and see how it works and if it does not work out then you can try out different arrangements. It is all about trial and error to find out what works best for you.

I would suggest reading the benefits of each different way to set up desks in your room. There is a lot about this and classroom management online.

You can first just try out tables or small groups. If that does not work, then you might want to try rows. Either way with younger grades you tend to switch locations a lot of if they are sitting by themselves at desks you can always call them over to the carpet or a common area for certain parts of a lesson etc.