Tuesday, September 21, 2010

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.

6 comments:

  1. Same goes for first grade! It's crazy right now!

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  2. You are exactly correct! Set the expectations, show respect and a bit of strictness in the beginning. It pays off daily as the year goes on! Behavior management is key to a successful year.
    I taught for 35 years and it was my key to success and sanity while working with preschoolers and kindergarten students.
    Susan at Togethertime4families.com

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  3. just found you today and I love you.. I am adding you to my roll blog call... and I am your newest follower...

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  4. @Togethertime 4 Families: Too often teachers are anxious to jump into teaching - perhaps in part because of expectations that parents and principals/directors place on us. But I think that you can never underestimate the importance of teaching routines. And if you get the routines under their belt, the learning comes so much easier!!! Thanks so much for reading my little blog and taking the time to make a comment!

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  5. @NF1andprek-whisper: Awwww....thanks for adding me to your blog roll and for following my little blog!

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  6. thank you for sharing this infotmation, i learned many things and i used then in my classroom and at home with my own kids.
    Alina

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