[stephanie trader]

agree

[Katy]

I prep lunch and snacks the morning before daycare starts. This makes serving lunch so much easier than trying to do it with 6 kids running under my feet.

[Amy]

My time saving hack is I plan my curriculum a few weeks in advance either while my class is at school or when im waiting on the bus to pick them up. This allows me to focus on the kids when im with them. It also gives me ample time to gather any supplies I need.

[Karen]

I am a firm believer in lists and post it notes! By writing everything down as soon as I remember (which can be a challenge) it helps reinforce what I need to do especially by including the priority or order it needs to be completed.

[Maisa Ahmad]

One time saving hack I use, is trying to prep items the night before. Start prepping the next day’s schedule before leaving for the day. Another time saving hack I use at home, is deciding what to wear the night before and prepping my clothes.A golden moment when prepping items the night before helped, is on our picture day. Having the schedule prepped saved, me time as I just needed to put the finishing touches, which helped with getting picture day started and roll through the day smoothly. Getting everyone’s picture took before they had to have lunch.

[Silvia]

Instead of creating new content daily, use a rotating bank of proven lesson activities. Fill in the why and how, not the what. This drastically speeds up the Create lesson plans (post-meeting) task.

[Blythe]

Wow, all of these ideas are amazing! One trick that helps me out the most in my classroom is filling up waters and milk before the day as well as getting chairs set up and plates out for lunch. This also helps me be more focused on the children, when I sit down I have everything in front of me to make lunches and talk with the children.

[Kevin]

I have found that organizing supplies for activities beforehand in either a box or cart dramatically saves time. Having instructions printed out for other teachers to see helps and also helps to serve as a reminder for giving instructions to others as well.By also having a schedule ready visually to show to the kids helps to speed up transition times as they will know what to expect in the future and be better motivated to clean or move so we can get to those activities.

[Trainer]

Great insights, Kevin! Organizing supplies and using visual schedules truly enhance efficiency and engagement for both educators and learners.

[LaTisha]

When I think about time-saving hacks in early childhood, the most significant game changer has always been setting up the environment to basically do half the work for me. When materials are labeled, routines are predictable, and transitions are prepped ahead of time, the kids move more independently, and I spend way less energy redirecting or scrambling. I also batch my tasks, like checking messages only at a certain time and prepping activities in clusters so the whole week runs smoother.

[Trainer]

Great insights, LaTisha! A well-organized environment truly empowers children and enhances our efficiency. Your batching strategy is brilliant!

[isaac]

delegating tasks to little ones. it doesnt always save time, but it can help shift the energy from ‘we have stuff to get done before we can —‘ to ‘we are in the present together adn exactly where we need to be’

[Trainer]

Great insight, Isaac! Delegating empowers children and fosters a mindful, collaborative environment, enhancing both learning and connection.

[Sara]

I feel like I am a well prepared person for every situation. I do meal prepping, clothes prepping. Art prepping.

[Jessica]

I work in a one-year-old room by myself and can get up to seven students at a time. we are a shoe free center. During mealtimes, before we go outside, I put their shoes on while they are all sitting down in the highchairs. I bring the stroller in when they are all done eating and move them straight from the high chair to the stroller.

[Trainer]

Great strategy, Jessica! Your efficient use of mealtime to prepare for outdoor play showcases excellent multitasking and organization!

[Shabnum]

By using a planner, calendar and preparing ahead keeps things organized and gets things done ina timely manner. While accomplishing these tasks ahead of time, it allows for more free time to work closer with the children and other people.

[Trainer]

Great insights, Shabnum! Your use of planning enhances organization and creates valuable time for meaningful interactions with children.

[Janette]

I have seen that having solid routines, for both the teacher team as well as for children, really helps save time. Within that routine is prep at the end of the day for the next day, as well as some last minute prep time if needed in the morning before the class begins.

[Hygel]

I think the biggest time consuming thing for me it is prepping activity materials because i teach Spanish class to 80+ preschoolers in the Preschool I work. I try to incorporate as much art activities as I can in my students work, so getting the material together take a lot of my time during the week. So I try planning and prepping for my classes the week before, so I am not so stress and run out of time between classes. I also involve my students in the clean up process, so I am on time and ready for my next class (I usually have 10 minutes between classes to clean up, and set up material for next class( It seems like a lot time but it is not!).

[Trainer]

Great strategies, Hygel! Pre-planning and involving students in cleanup fosters responsibility and maximizes your teaching time effectively!