Promoting Social-Emotional Competence: Helping Children Understand Classroom Schedules and Routines

1. Promoting Social Emotional Competence Promoting Children’s Success: Helping Children Understand Classroom Schedules and Routines

3. Routines and schedules are important because: • They influence a child’s emotional, cognitive and social development. • They help children feel secure. • They help children understand expectations. • They help reduce behavior problems. • They can result in higher rates of child engagement.

4. Routines vs. Schedules • The terms routines and schedules are often used interchangeably. Schedules represent the big picture. • Main activities to be completed daily • Blocks of time for classroom activities • Sequence of classroom activities Routines are activities and procedures that occur regularly to complete the schedule.

5. Schedules & Routines Develop a schedule that promotes child engagement and success. • Balance activities: • active and quiet • small group and large group • individual work • teacher-directed and child-directed • indoor and outdoor Teach children the schedule. • Establish a routine and follow it consistently. • Routines are different from schedules! When changes are necessary, prepare children ahead of time.

6. Things to Consider in Daily Schedule Planning: • Balance the activities - large group, small group, learning center, active, quiet, in/out of classroom • Number of activities available and materials available when planned activities are completed • Child’s attention span , level of alertness and engagement • Child’s cultural and linguistic background

8. Moveable Visual Schedule

9. Photograph Visual Schedule

10. First-Then Schedule

11. Developing Large Group Activities Planning the activity • Consider the length • Be clear about the purpose and goals of the activities • Use large group time to teach new things Implementing the activity • Provide opportunitiesfor all children to be actively involved • Assign jobsto children • Vary your speech and intonation patterns • Have child-led activities • Pay attention to children’s engagement and behavior

12. Developing Small Group Activities Importance of small group activities • Skill building • Individualized attention Planning and implementing • Be clear about the goal • Use peers as models • Ensure participation by all children • Make them Engaging • Provide specific positive feedback throughout

13. Routines • Are activities and procedures that occur regularly • Often involve a series of responses • Typical classroom routines include: • Arrival time • Bathroom time • Cleanup time • Departure • Snack time • Story time

14. First-Then Circle Time Routine

15. Hand Washing Routine

16. Turn Taking Routine

17. Video: Computer Time Routine

18. Activity: Action Planning • Think of your classroom schedules and routines. • Is there anything you can do to modify the schedule/routine to support the children in your classroom? • Think of a child who has more significant challenging behavior. • What could you do to use the schedule/routine to help support that child?

19. Questions?