[Tracy Miller]

I also like to use the children as helpers. They love to have a daily task and to check the board to see what their role will be that day. Music helps transition and cue what is coming next.

Golden moment is when I realized everything doesn’t have to be perfect to still be good and sometimes that is all we can hope for.

[Trainer]

Tracy, involving children in daily tasks and using music are great strategies. Embracing imperfection is insightful and empowering.

[Desiree]

Every morning I write out the date, all appointments scheduled, including blocks of time in which there isn’t anything scheduled. In those times I know I have to get all the important things done. Then I re-write my to do list and ensure that what I want to get done can actually fit in the allotted time. Then I make a plan for items I know I can’t get done that day.

[Trainer]

Desiree, your organizational skills are impressive! It’s great to see how you maximize your time effectively.

[lizza]

I like being a week ahead with my lessons. I have a drawer for each day that includes most everything needed for the art and circle time lessons. I also make sure to have as much ready for the next day before I go to bed. Lunch packed (or planned), clothes ready too. I delegate little jobs when I can.

[Trainer]

Great job, Lizza! Being proactive and organized sets a positive tone for the day. Keep it up!

[Em]

I would prepare as much as I can the night before or the morning of. I also keep a running list of what needs to be done the next day.

[Trainer]

Em, great strategy! Being proactive and organized sets a positive tone for the day.

[Rebekah berto]

I try my hardest to keep my claatoom organized so my students can put away their materials they are using at the time for the activity. Everything is labeled and a picture for visual. I prep my days a week in advance so I have everything that is needed. I also have timers in my class room so even my students can see how much long we have on that specific activity.

[Patrick McLeland]

Yeah, I love these hacks! I think being able to get something going that you can step away from (as long as it isn;t dangerous) and completing another task in the time is an essential skill to maximize time.

[natalie d]

My time saving hack to meal prep for a weeks’ worth of lunches and dinners as well as prep for a weeks’ worth of art/projects.

[Trainer]

Great organization skills! Efficient meal prep and art/project planning saves time and supports learning.

[catherine sligh]

Best Time Saving Hack!! having a check list so i can see the things i got done and needed done.

if having a hard time completing i will set a timer for 15 min dont stop until timer goes off and usually the task gets done

[Chong Gan]

Think about my routine before i start to work, use time wisely and efficiency.

[Zhouyi]

To improve the efficiency of the new day at the childcare, I will clean and disinfect the toys after class and prepare the teaching materials for the next day.

[Trainer]

Great initiative, Zhouyi! Cleaning and preparing materials ahead will save valuable time and ensure a smooth start.

[Kristin Viray]

A time saving hack for me is to be prepared for EVERYTHING and ALWAYS have a back up plan(s). Because you never know what could happen and if you’re prepared for the worst of the unknown, it’ll save you a lot of time and stress.

For example, the kids aren’t interested in the curriculum of the day? Switch it up! Free play going wild? How about have a dance party instead. And even if you’re not prepared, fake it! Don’t show it to the kids because I swear they can sense that unpreparedness and make things 10x worse.

A golden moment for me was actually a couple weeks ago where I had the whole weeks curriculum already printed out and readily available on the teacher desk. I had all the necessary readings ready, art projects prepped and even extra activities just in case the kids finished up everything. It made the whole week so by so smoothly and I didn’t have to stress about not having a certain reading or certain art material or something happening to the printer in the office where I couldn’t print out the necessary things I needed. By having everything ready, one after the other, it really felt like the classroom ran a lot smoother than compared to “Oh wait. We don’t have all the paints out so we have to do that now.” The kids didn’t have to wait for anything cause the paint was already prepped and ready to go!

[Whitney]

My task management skills are:

Writing a list from most important tasks for the day to least important. I go in order and cross off tasks as they are completed. This helps me insure my tasks are getting done and not spiderweb into other items.

[Jan]

I think prepping a week at a time is my best time saver. I do a rough draft of my year, then the month before plan a final draft and then prep on week at a time in a lesson binder. I keep my binder from year to year to see what works and didn’t so I can streamline my time.

[Trainer]

Jan, your approach to planning and prepping a week in advance is a fantastic time-saving strategy. Reusing lesson binders for reflection is also a great way to improve efficiency!

[Briele]

I like to get the kiddos involved in daily “chores” and tasks. It’s helping them learn responsibilities and helping me, too!

[Tina]

We cannot get it back. Building memories and creating a life is priority,