Even the slightest change to a child’s daily routine can have drastic effects on their mood and ability to navigate their day. As child care providers, it’s often up to you to help the children in your care handle any changes that their daily routines may experience. It is up to you to help children with changes in routine and help children do so with minimal upset or frustration.
Our 4 clock hour (0.4 CEU) course Creating Schedules and Routines discusses the importance of a child’s daily routine. In particular, this course discusses how to help children adjust to changes in routine.
Here are some tips on how to help young children manage changes in routine:
- Have a good understanding of individual children’s needs and abilities to handle change.
- Limit the number of changes that are introduced at any one time.
- Prepare children for changes before changes occur. This is also an excellent opportunity to include parents as an additional layer of support for the child.
Even though all young children benefit from a consistent and predictable daily routine, there are some children who are more adaptable by nature. Children who are not as adaptable need exposure to new experiences, but do their best when faced with one small change at a time. Repeated exposure to the same new situation, without pressure to adapt, is usually the best way to approach this. While exposing the child to the new situation, talk with the child and discuss similarities between the old routine and the new routine to help them adjust to the change.
Routines: Circle Time
Another way to help children adapt to various changes in routine is to create a schedule that is easily followed and kept to. Circle time is a great activity to start and end your day.
In the morning, circle time can give children time to adjust and say hello to each other. It is a time for them to learn what they’ll be exploring that day. Then at the end of the day, children and caregivers can come together in a circle once the room has been tidied and cleaned. This routine is a great way to help children transition between your program and their home. Read our blog our blog on How to Have a Successful Circle Time to learn more!
To find out more about the importance of scheduling your day and to find out more about keeping to a specific routine, check out Creating Schedules and Routines on our website. Thank you for reading!
Please let us know how we can be of additional assistance. Call us: 1–800-685‑7610, Monday through Friday, 9–5 ET, or email us days, evenings and weekends: info@CareCourses.com. We’re here to help!