Did you know there’s actually science behind the importance of daily routine in the classroom? The brain is an absolutely amazing organ. It is so cool to see how powerful yet delicate and intricate the brain is! Such a beautiful visual of a powerful God that created us.
Ok, I’m going to get nerdy for a minute here talking about the brain because I think it’s important for all preschool teachers to know and have some understanding of this.
Touch your nose if you have heard of the term Executive Functioning Skills. This is a set of cognitive processes located in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. These skills develop over time beginning at birth and continue until adulthood. They are combination of skills used to learn, play, and socialize. It includes skills such as motor, sensory, communication and cognitive skills. The prefrontal cortex is the last part of the brain to fully develop.
Ok, cool, why is this important for me to know as a preschool teacher? Well, it’s important because these skills help us with a variety of tasks that happen in preschool. When we focus on how we can help our students develop this set of skills, we help our students be more successful and our classrooms will run more smoothly.
Here are a few of the skills covered by Exec. Functioning…
Working memory- following rules of a game, mental math. Completing tasks in order, remembering story details…
Self-Control- raising hands, waiting our turn, focus, sharing without issue,
Mental Flexibility- Making up new stories, problem-solving, transitioning to a new task, handling new experiences.
Sound like anything that happens in preschool?!
Here’s a few more…
Playing with peers
Working in a group
Finishing a project
Asking for help
Self-regulation
Applying what we learn
Cleaning… Ok, Ill stop there.
Basically, what I’m saying is it is CRUCIAL, VITAL, and absolutely necessary for us as teachers to help our students develop and improve their executive functioning skills!
Which brings me to my main point for this blog post…
The power of daily routine in the classroom.
Why is a routine important for my students brains?
Let’s see if we can break this down just a bit. Do you have a consistent route that you take home from work every day? I do.
Have you ever been driving home and all of a sudden you realize you’re home…and you don’t even remember the drive? Or have you ever needed to stop at the store after work but then you get home and realize that you totally forgot to stop at the store? That’s because your brain has that consistent routine and has taken all of the guesswork out of that task. Our brains don’t have to think about that task. That is the daily routine and to deviate from that means extra work for our brains!
It’s the same idea for our students. When they have a consistent morning routine their brains don’t have to think nearly as hard about what they are supposed to be doing. Which gives them space and energy for learning. Other parts of the brain don’t have to work as hard which results in a more calm child, and a more calm classroom environment!
Daily routine in the classroom provides consistency in the brain, which causes less stress to the different areas of our brain resulting in calmer, more successful brains! Routines help the executive functioning part of the brain not get overwhelmed.
Besides calming the brain…here’s how a routine fosters executive functioning skills…
Time management, working memory (we can follow steps of a routine), task initiation, sustained attention, organization.
How does a daily routine in the classroom foster executive functioning skills?
When a routine is in place, it takes the guesswork and choice out of what the student should do (I’m not talking about student choice or student led learning). The executive functioning part of the brain is free and clear for developing because the brain is calm and knows exactly what it’s doing at that moment.
Here’s what our preschool morning routine looks like…students come in, put away their backpacks, go to the sink and wash their hands, then choose a table time activity with the other children.
So, let’s break that down to see what skills are being strengthened through eash task.
Puts belongings away– organization, sustained attention, planning/prioritization, time management, working memory. WHEW! That’s a lot of skills being covered by just one patr of our routine!
Washes hands- task initiation, working memory, time management (How many stops do they make on their way to the sink? How long do they stand at the sink before completing the task? etc.) sustained attention, response inhibition (when another student is still washing hands, do they wait? Do they push? Do they skip that task?)
Chooses an activity with peers- response inhibition, sustained attention, working memory,
This past school year I had a student that was SO EXCITED for school. Every day. He loved learning all of the things, was always so excited to see what we were doing next, etc.
I am not exaggerating when I say, every day when he came in he dropped his backpack in the middle of the floor, then is hat, and went straight to the table time activities. Was he intentionally trying to be naughty? No, his executive functioning skills were lacking! Having an understanding of these skills is going to help us be better teachers and give us more insight into how we can help our students develop!
As you have other routines in place in your classroom you will continue to see how student behaviors will improve because the executive functioning part of the brain will not be overwhelmed and students will not have to access their fight or flight response, because these routines will just come naturally! You will have chances to see how these skills are being strengthened but also notice areas in your students that need improvement!
If you want a more broken-down chart of these skills and executive functioning as a whole, this article is great!
To summarize…
Set up your daily routine in the classroom!
If you need more info on why you need a routine in your preschool classroom, head on over to this blog post!
Did you know that studies show that the most critical part of brain development happens between the ages of 0-5 years old. Hello preschool! In case you thought your job wasn’t THAAAAT important. Our job as preschool, early childhood educators is massively important and when we know more, we can do better! Our students deserve the best, happiest, most informed version of us!
Happy Teaching, friends!