Teacher Tip Tuesday: Routines Rule!

I might get a bit of flack for this but I always say that teaching preschool and kindergarten aged children is 80% classroom management. I know, it's important to learn letters, numbers, and shapes. But if you have a classroom full of children who are unable to listen or follow directions, you won't be able to teach them anything anyway!

This time of the year is often pretty challenging for preschool children...and their teachers. Lots of crying, new rules to follow, and new routines to learn. My suggestion for this week: scrap the lesson plans, at least for a few weeks.

I know, sounds crazy, right?

When I taught kindergarten, I did not do a traditional lesson plan for the entire month of September. Each day of the month we learned routines and rules. It may not sound like a lot, but trust me, it pays off. My goal as a teacher was to have the children not "need" me so much! We learned how to turn the computers on/off, how to hold the scissors, how to use the art materials, how to take care of our books, where to find the puzzles, and all of the other day-to day tasks. If you are in November and still teaching your children how to clean up the block area, you might want to rethink your strategy!

Don't underestimate the importance of focusing on rules and routines. A well managed classroom is a place where true learning can occur.