It's All Routine
As an ADHD child, I can say that I did best with a routine. I knew what was going to happen, and what was coming next. When that routine was changed, or something was different, adaption to change was hard for me. If something was planned and I didn't know about it (my father did this frequently) it made things worse for me.
Now that I am an educator, I strive to keep my classroom routine consistent. This is why I leave notes for a substitute teacher, providing such information as the daily schedule, activities for the day, and info about each child. I also keep a list of where each child goes for nap time. When that routine is off, the children are off, and I am too.
Studies have shown that routines are important for children: routines provide consistency, structure and help children understand what will happen next. Trust is also established through routines, and consistent use of routines also provides a calm feeling over the classroom as a whole.
In other words, if there is no routine found in an early childhood classroom, the classroom may be in total chaos. It's chaos that creates stress in not only children but teachers too.
The classroom is not the only place to find a routine. Routines are essential for households too. When I was a part time nanny, I worked two days per week at a home where the children had no routine. This was evident not so much by the baby I cared for, but his preschooler brother who started falling asleep at noon, only to allow MB (Mom Boss) to grant me a routine, then to change her mind three days later. She told me S (the preschooler) was falling asleep at midnight from having a nap during the day. His napping at noon had nothing to do with this-poor S was so tired during the day, MB let him crash at 430p when she got home. You do realize what was happening, right? Lol
Routines are important to child development. Here are some things you can do:
The first thing to set for a routine is a regular bedtime. This can be established a week or two before school starts. Regular bedtimes help achieve learning success. My friend Theresa says that her four year old is struggling with bedtime now that school has started. Bed time can be a power struggle, but stick to it!
Establish a regular routine for after school, consisting of a snack, homework time, play time and evening routine. If your child participates in after school activities, play the routine by ear the first week of school or when new activities start. Make notes of how the routine works and change things around as needed. After school activities can be busy and time consuming, so create a routine that fits with your child's age, grade level, and flows with your household routine. Also consider the amount of homework and/or school projects your child may have and allow ample time to get homework completed.
I've posted before about how I didn't have to do homework if I didn't want to. Looking back on my childhood, I believe that if I were made to do homework and had a consistent routine, my academic career would've been different.
Routines. A new one every school year. It's only been the first week of school, and I'm still adjusting to mine. It's new, and I don't know if I am coming or going...or going. Or something...
Now that I am an educator, I strive to keep my classroom routine consistent. This is why I leave notes for a substitute teacher, providing such information as the daily schedule, activities for the day, and info about each child. I also keep a list of where each child goes for nap time. When that routine is off, the children are off, and I am too.
Studies have shown that routines are important for children: routines provide consistency, structure and help children understand what will happen next. Trust is also established through routines, and consistent use of routines also provides a calm feeling over the classroom as a whole.
In other words, if there is no routine found in an early childhood classroom, the classroom may be in total chaos. It's chaos that creates stress in not only children but teachers too.
The classroom is not the only place to find a routine. Routines are essential for households too. When I was a part time nanny, I worked two days per week at a home where the children had no routine. This was evident not so much by the baby I cared for, but his preschooler brother who started falling asleep at noon, only to allow MB (Mom Boss) to grant me a routine, then to change her mind three days later. She told me S (the preschooler) was falling asleep at midnight from having a nap during the day. His napping at noon had nothing to do with this-poor S was so tired during the day, MB let him crash at 430p when she got home. You do realize what was happening, right? Lol
Routines are important to child development. Here are some things you can do:
The first thing to set for a routine is a regular bedtime. This can be established a week or two before school starts. Regular bedtimes help achieve learning success. My friend Theresa says that her four year old is struggling with bedtime now that school has started. Bed time can be a power struggle, but stick to it!
Establish a regular routine for after school, consisting of a snack, homework time, play time and evening routine. If your child participates in after school activities, play the routine by ear the first week of school or when new activities start. Make notes of how the routine works and change things around as needed. After school activities can be busy and time consuming, so create a routine that fits with your child's age, grade level, and flows with your household routine. Also consider the amount of homework and/or school projects your child may have and allow ample time to get homework completed.
I've posted before about how I didn't have to do homework if I didn't want to. Looking back on my childhood, I believe that if I were made to do homework and had a consistent routine, my academic career would've been different.
Routines. A new one every school year. It's only been the first week of school, and I'm still adjusting to mine. It's new, and I don't know if I am coming or going...or going. Or something...
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