Preschool schedules

       When I started working in early childhood classrooms more than 10 years ago, schedules were fairly uncommon.  Over the past few years, the use of visual schedules has become more common place.  Schedules can be really detailed (see top photo) or simple.  A good rule of thumb is to consider the needs of your preschool classroom and keep the schedule as simple as possible.

Some things to consider when designing a schedule:

1.)  When making a schedule for a younger group of children, (2-3) real photos are better than cartoon drawings
2.) A simple predictable schedule is ideal
3.)  Only include your activities; things like hand washing wouldn't necessarily need to be on the schedule unless they were difficult for some of your kids

How can a schedule help children?

1.)  Many children who start preschool are coming to school for the first time.  A visual schedule can be a great way for you to show them their day will be full of fun activities.  It will also let them know how many activities there are before their mom or dad come.

2.)  They are great transition helpers.  Some kids have difficulty transitioning from one activity to another because they don't know if the next activity will be fun for them.  The schedule can be a great reference for you to show them that the next activity is fun too.

For more information . . .

The National Association for the Education of Young Children published a great article on visuals and schedules in the preschool classroom.   You can read it here: http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/files/tyc/file/V4N5/Take_a_look_visual_supports_for_learning.pdf


Next post:  Other visual supports for behavior