Schedules, Transitions and Expectations

With the beginning of the school year and new routines at both home and school, we thought it would be a good time to discuss a few tips that may help ease children into their new routines.

1.       Similar to many adults, children like a consistent schedule. Knowing what the typical day will hold, what activities will routinely occur and what behaviors are expected of them helps a child transition and self-regulate*. Having a consistent schedule can be as easy as having a regular bed time routine, a morning schedule, drop-off routine at their early childhood program and keeping to a consistent schedule at the early childhood program.

2.       Although the daily activities may change, for example what the focus of the day will be, how the actual day is structured can provide a familiar framework for children. Knowing that upon entering the room, the child is expected to sign into the room (this type of activity is a great natural writing experience), put their belongings in their cubby, wash their hands, and chose an activity to participate in helps ease the transition from home to school. A visual schedule of daily activities is also helpful. For example, knowing that center rotations occur before lunch and that story time is provided as a quiet time while preparing for nap time allows a child to predict what is going to occur and self-regulate* when it’s time to transition.

3.       Another way to help a child self-regulate* their behaviors is by providing consistent transitions and if needed notice of upcoming transitions. Consistent transitions can be done in a variety of ways such as songs, visual cues, or an auditory signal such as a bell. Giving notice of upcoming transitions can be as simple as telling the class that there is 5 minutes until clean up and transition to the next activity. This provides time for the child to mentally prepare for the change that is going to happen.

4.       Clear expectations are also needed at both home and the early childhood program. Having the same expectations are not always possible, but to encourage self-regulation*, consistency is key at each location. For example, at home a child may be able to get a snack whenever and eat while walking around. However, in the early childhood program, snacks may be at a specific time or for safety and cleanliness, the snack is eaten at a specific table in the room. Another example that some children have a hard time with is having to keep their shoes on during the day, when at home they can take their shoes off as soon as they walk in the door. In the beginning, the child may have some challenges adjusting to the different expectations, but through the adults consistency of expectations and reinforcement of expected behaviors, the child will start to learn and understand what is expected of them.

Children are learning every day and it is our responsibility and duty as caregivers, teachers, and educators to provide a supportive positive environment for children to learn. Children will make mistakes, forget expectations, and as the encouraging adult, we will need to help guide behaviors and encourage self-regulation. By providing a consistent schedule and transitions along with clear expectations, will help to build an environment that promotes learning and exploring.

*For this blog post the terms “self-regulate” and “self-regulation” are defined as a child’s ability to regulate their own behavior, actions, and emotions without adult influence or with minimal adult influence.

Professional Development that connects to this blog include:

1.       Child Guidance

2.       Creating Cooperative Collaborative Classrooms

3.       Daily schedules & Weekly Lessons

These professional development opportunities can be provided face to face now and will be available online soon.​

Bringing the Inside Out

With the weather outside getting warmer, here are some ideas for taking activities that typically occur inside the classroom to an outside environment with minimal effort.

Math & Science Exploration-

Take advantage of a nature color exploration. The natural colors occurring with the trees changing colors, flowers blooming, and the beautiful blue bonnets are a great way to start conversations with children. Just recently when passing by the beauties below a conversation began about the various colors that were present and predictions began on if the leaves felt different or would make different sounds when touched and crumbled. What do you think- did it feel different or make different sounds?

Art activities-

The possibilities on creative art experiences are only limited by our imaginations. So, take these experiences outside too! Using large butcher paper and bubbles with food coloring makes for a fun project to create outside. Blowing bubbles and watching them pop on the paper thus creating unique color splashes provides a great individual or small group outside art experience.

Of course, don’t forget about nature walks and collecting leaves, branches and rocks to then create collages and again explore textures, colors, and the various designs that can be made when these items are dipped in paint. Remember when collecting items from nature you don’t want to take too much and be aware of safety issues such as environmental allergies.

Water Fun-

Finally, the weather can still be unpredictable so encourage parents to explore their surroundings with their children after the rain. During these explorations, the new smells, sounds, and colors that appear after the rain can be discussed and provide opportunities to expand both language and science skills. Making predictions about what occurs when items are dropped into puddles, how deep a puddle is and how big of a splash can be made are fun ways to practice science skills too.

The three ideas presented here are low cost, interactive, outdoor activities that allow learning through exploration. Learning through experiences such as play and social interactions helps children make connections with previous knowledge and create a new understanding of the world around them. Take some time today to enjoy the outside environments through the eyes of a young child.

Professional Development that connects to this blog include:

1.       Outside Explorations

2.       Math & Science Activities for Young Children

3.       Art Without Brushes

4.       Home & School Connections

These professional development opportunities can be provided face to face now and will be available online soon.