The Importance of Routines in Early Years

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Professional Practice

The Importance of Routines in Early Years
Early Years Classrooms need to have routines. These routines help maintain order, If there is a set activity for every part of the day, the teacher will be able to focus more on the teaching and less on giving instructions to the class. Routines help children cooperate by reducing stress and anxiety for everyone. Setting up classroom and home routines help children understand expectations and boundaries. Routines help kids learn to take charge of their own activities. Over time, children learn to brush their teeth, pack their schoolbags, etc., without constant reminders. Children love being in charge of themselves. This feeling increases their sense of mastery and competence. Children who feel more independent and in charge of themselves have less need to rebel and be oppositional. Children learn the concept of looking forward to things they enjoy, which is an important part of making a happy accommodation with the demands of a schedule. A child may want to go to the playground now, but he can learn that we always go to the playground in the afternoon, and he can look forward to it then. Children often misbehave to fill a stimulation gap. If there is nothing going on around them, some children will make their own activity by messing around with another child. Routines help to minimize this behaviour by constantly giving children something to do.

Routines can be fun, too. If, for example, you have children clean up their desks every day when an activity has finished, you can make it a game by playing a song with a set length. When they hear the song, they need to clean up their desks as fast as they can. By having this as part of their regular routine, they start to enjoy school and the routine it provides rather than seeing routine as a chore. Added responsibility also improves children’s self-esteem. This helps their social intelligence and makes school something they look forward.

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