After Adapting to the Immediate Needs, a Daily Routine and or Schedule Should be Followed.
We have all imagined what our day of teaching little ones would look like. After all, Ms. Appleberry makes it look sooo easy. In reality, the day is ever changing because the children’s moods and needs are ever changing. In this post, I will touch on a realistic routine and schedule for a two-year-old’s school day and the difference between them.
A schedule is something that should be followed every day but this specific timeline can add a lot of unnecessary stress, whereas a routine is more of a basic guideline of what goes on and has a little more wiggle room. It is more child friendly.
How are they different?
Breakdown of a Classroom Schedule for Two-Year-Olds:
Why should I make a schedule if I’m not going to follow it? You will and you should. As the year goes on, the children will mature and become much more aware. This is what we “try” to do every day. Sometimes we do our exercise as part of circle or our structured play will happen during free play because the class is getting a little antsy. Maybe our project only took five minutes, not twenty. As long as do your best to keep things moving in a familiar pattern, you will not confuse the children.
The example below is what I would have hanging outside my door and sometimes sent home in my welcome packet. This gives you an idea of what should be happening around the immediate needs, as in diaper changes, booboos and anything else that might pop up. It’s good for you the teacher to have and it helps the parents get a good idea of what happens and when. I am always honest with the parents and my director. Not every day will go according to plan, but I will always remain in the guidelines of our routine. As caregivers, we must always be ready for the unknow, but going in blindly helps no one. Have a game plan, but always remember, the children are the real bosses. 😉
Breakdown of a Classroom Routine for Two-Year-Olds:
The daily routine should be simple enough for the children to get used to. What they know will happen every day. They know we have circle time, story time, dance, play, snack, lunch, nap etc… Pretty much so they know what to expect. They know they will have fun, they know they will be fed, most importantly, they know they will go home. Big changes can lead to big fears. Children like guidance and believe it or not, they like rules. Stability is so important. So, the trick is to keep them comfortable without becoming monotonous. After all, they aren’t at their 9-5 yet.
To make both your day and theirs a little smoother, a classroom routine should be used and also hung as a guideline. Throughout the day, you can point and refer to this and you’ll be surprised how quickly the children know “what comes next”. As I have stated earlier, you have more wiggle room here as you do not, and probably cannot stick to a specifically timed schedule too strictly.
As you can see, these two do not differ all that much. The routine is just a simplified version of the schedule. To anyone not in the field, this whole post may seem silly, but if you know you know. There must be order but there must also be a sense of comfort and lightheartedness. In other words, a sense of realistic goals.
Good Morning Song:
There are so many songs we use during the day, especially circle time, but I find the simpler the better for the 2’s. I’ve been using Dragon Tales Hello for a few years now. Reason being, the chorus is so easy for them to sing along with and the main verse, I sing over it and use it as an opportunity to go over the parts of the body. I’ll shout “HEAD” while tapping, then “Tummy” while tapping and so on. This song leaves plenty of room to get animated and silly. Use your imagination and they will follow along! I’ll add link just in case you want to give it a try. 😊
Remember your number one job is to keep the children safe, but making sure they have fun and love coming to school is a close second. In keeping with a daily routine, your class knows who they will see and what they will do. All of us love surprises, but we also like familiarity. The children are already going through a big change just by being away from mommy and daddy for so long, let’s try not confuse them too much more. By differentiating “What do the children do every day” and “What goes on during the day”, you are allowing for those little changes in the times. Don’t veer completely off course though, you get what I’m saying. Always leave room for the unknown. Little Jimmy may wet his pants, or Little Suzy may throw up on the floor. Every day is an adventure!
