[Aparna]

involve child in making routines.start small, make it fun , don’t forget snack or meal ,use rewards .plan &stick to daily schedule .

[Kina]

When creating a daily schedule I like to begin with scheduled breakfast, lunch, and dinner times. From here I like to pencil in the times that are work hours, recess, and sleep hours. I will be working in a Montessori classroom so our schedule for the school day may look different from a typical school schedule as the children will have a 3 hour work period.

[Rachel]

I think its good to involve the children in helping make a daily schedule, have some activities planned that are fun and plan breakfast and lunch times. Outside/fun time should also be planned and at a good time.

[Andraya]

When creating a routine, keep it simple, build off of habits so they know after I do this then I do that. keep things easily accessible for children so they can go throughout the day and follow the routine with some independence and self management. have triggers for when its time to transition and switch gears so they know what to do next, or what is coming next in the day.

[Bonnie Claire]

Developing a schedule around meal and nap times makes creating a schedule efficient. From there, you can incorporate activities (depending on age group) where they can get large and small group activities, individual activities, and outdoor activities to keep them engaged.

[jess]

When creating a routine/schedule I would recommend making it simple and smooth and flows to each task of the day easily and involves children participating in the schedule. Such as line leader when getting ready to wash hands across side if religious who does prayer. I think a schedule should be easy for the kids to pick up on and so they get to know what’s next and have control other day and some cents not just not know what’s happening every day.

[miranda]

have the activities listed out at the beginning of day. have alerts that tell you when new activity begins.

[Kristin]

when creating daily schedules it is important to think of your age group in mind. I would start by writing down lunch times and snacks, then allowing time for clean up and hand washing before meals. I would start the morning off after breakfast with a quiet activity and then move on to more enhanced activities. I think it would also be wise in including children in the schedule planning if it is age appropriate to do so.

[Jamie]

Good ideas. Children will be more engaged when they have some choices in what they are doing.

[Nadia]

Looking at the plan before starting the next week according to the child progress, making sure the plan included different activities including outdoor and indoor activities, also making sure they are fun and there is time for snacks and naps during each day, also putting in effort into keeping the area safe, clean and easily accessible. These activities should be educational and play a good part in the children’s development.

[Hadiya]

Involve the children in making the schedule that way you are more likely to keep them interested and engaged in day to day activities.
Plan out meal times and outside time and base certain activities around energy level. When might they be the most energetic? When would they potentially start to wind down? What activities can support this?

Observe what works and what doesn’t and adjust accordingly.

[Diamon]

when creating daily schedules it is important to making sure it’s keeping the kids engaged & having fun. I usually make a list of things i want to plan for the day, I usually try & have a good transition trying to add music, or the clean up song. I try to have duties for the children to make them feel as if they have a role which they enjoy being the leader & taking turns.

[Timothy]

consider age of children and break day up in appropriate lengths based on their development. Provide a mix of teacher led and child led times. Be sure to incorporate snacks and outside/active time.

[Lauren]

Involving the children in the routine planning could be very helpful to teachers. It is much easier to get children to do something when they have interest in what they are doing or if they know they get rewarded and/or praised for doing a good job or if they helped plan some of the activities.

• This reply was modified 6 months ago by  Lauren.

[Maria]

When creating a schedule, first of all we need to think about the age group of children. Then, I would put the circle time in the schedule, children will know from this that after the lesson we have a free game, and then lunch. This way children will get used to the daily routine faster.

[El Sollman]

Some advice I’d give to make a schedule and maintain it is to do it the same everyday and to initiate transitions with music. It also helps if there are other cues to do the scheduled events and the children are taught their schedule. The routine must include quiet time and loud time, alone time and group time.

[Personal]

I think it is important to keep work time for children after meals or snacks. I think children as adults can learn and concentrate better when they are not hungry. I think it is also important to provide a few breaks or recess time after work time. If children can not go outdoor to play because of the weather, I think it is important to provide other physical activities like dancing or games where they have to move so their little bodies can release extra energy. And last but not least important, it is the inclusion of different types of activities through the day that expose the children to a variety of learning skills (like science, reading motor skills, social skills, math, etc).