Establishing Predictable Routines in a Child Care Setting – eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care (2024)

FAQs

Establishing Predictable Routines in a Child Care Setting – eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care? ›

Keep routines consistent.

Move only small groups of children at a time to complete a routine. Make routine times fun. Sing a song that incorporates the steps of the routine or play a game that fits in with the activity; for example, 'This is the way we wash our hands' when going to the bathroom or 'Five currant buns' when going to morning tea.

You can say something like, "Plans change, things happen, but give your child a warning ahead of time if things are going to be different. Let them know what is going to happen." Encourage parents to offer a choice in activities or the steps of a routine whenever possible.

Participating in routines support children to learn and grow. Everyday actions such as dressing, washing hands and getting ready for the day are rich opportunities to support your child's learning and development. Routines build self-confidence, curiosity, social skills, self-control, communication skills and more.

Routines are an important opportunity for learning.

But these everyday actions are rich opportunities to support your child's learning and development, while having fun. Routines offer the chance to build self-confidence, curiosity, social skills, self-control, communication skills, and more.

A routine is a predictable activity or regular program that typically occurs at a specific time of day and/or in a specific order. Routines are regular procedures and/or a sequence of actions regularly followed.

Daily routines provide opportunities for children to learn more about themselves, the world and other people. Daily routines also offer children a sense of stability, and a feeling of warmth and caring from their teachers.

Responsive, consistent routines and schedules help strengthen relationships between infants, toddlers, and their caregivers. This provides security and a sense of control by letting infants and toddlers know what is coming next, which allows them to relax and explore their environment.

How do I ensure children are actively involved in activities and routines? ›

Routines establish a sense of predictability in the classroom that supports students' learning. By knowing what to expect, they're better able to engage in curricula without being thrown off by unexpected activities or scheduling shifts.

Daily routines provide a consistent pattern of activities for learning time, meals, rest, and outdoor play. The predictability of the routine helps children to feel secure and positively influences their emotional, cognitive, and social development.

Feeling Safe and Secure

Often, senior adults don't like to be surprised by things that throw off their schedule. A daily routine lets them feel in control of their day. If the day makes sense for them, everything feels more stable. This is especially true if there are issues such as dementia or Alzheimer's Disease.

Routines allow students to quickly accomplish day-to-day tasks that are required of both the teacher and students. Routines also help to create smoother transitions between activities and therefore allow fewer opportunities for disruptions to occur (Burden, 2003; Docking, 2002).

Explicitly go over your classroom routines with students on the first day of school. Review and practice them frequently. Expect students to automatically know your classroom routines. Post written or visual cues for routines in your classroom so students can refer to them each day.

Think about how your child could take a turn in the routine (e.g. body movement, eye contact, smile, sound, sign, picture, word, phrases etc) Think about how your child could ask for more/ again in the routine. Repeat routines often to help your child learn the routine and to take a turn.