The writing center was popular all morning, so I didn’t dare interrupt that. Maybe the day was gorgeous, and we wanted to stay outside longer. Some days children just want to do process art. You can’t put learning in a box, so this looks different every day. The first three hours of the day are dedicated to the children. I always made sure to give them a 15 and 5-minute heads up that morning breakfast/snack was about to be put away. Some children come in ravenous and others could care less about food. This is a genius idea I adopted from an ECE professor. Plus, I am not a morning person! So I get it when a mom drops off and looks completely frazzled …and loses her keys after the kiss goodbye.īreakfast and morning snack are an optional center instead of a family-style meal. This has multiple advantages because it also gives children opportunities to share stories with friends about what they did the night before, to warm up to the day, and to explore through free play. I gave families the gift of time - an entire window to drop off their child. With four hours in the morning, we didn’t have to jump into preschool the second 8:00 am came around. I wanted preschool to be a haven - a place where they could feel welcome, take off their shoes, and be themselves. You never know what a child’s night looked like or if leaving the house that morning was complete chaos. Your schedule will look different from mine for a variety of reasons (length of day, program philosphy, location, room size, and on and on), but your schedule and room arrangement have to be in sync! Just click the photo below to see my classroom up close. If you have not seen my setup, I highly recommend it because it will just give you a better understanding as to how this all really worked. My in-home classroom beckoned children to explore and discover! Take a look at your room arrangement and observe how it helps or prohibits what you want to accomplish. My schedule would have failed without my environment! You have to set yourself up for success by considering indirect guidance. I love the explanation of making a daily rhythm from Rhythms of Play.ĩ:00-11:40 Center time, circle time, outside play, and learning activitiesġ2:00-12:30 Pick up time for morning preschool sessionġ2:30-2:30 Nap time/rest time/quiet activitiesģ:00-3:30 Pick up time for extended day preschool A Key Part of My Preschool Classroom Schedule My schedule is more of a rhythm because it flows and allows lots of room for flexibility. I’m just going to share about the morning because the afternoon is more of a repeat of the morning with a nap time scheduled in. The bulk happens in the morning, so my students could attend just in the morning or the full day, whichever worked best for each family. There are two parts to my schedule: the morning schedule and extended day. This is great for planning lesson plans and preschool curriculum. I’m sharing my actual preschool schedule directly out of my handbook from my in-home preschool. Why would you make a preschool schedule full of adult-directed moments when a child will learn much more when you bring meaning to what they are already engaged in? My classroom schedule completely opened up when I ditched keeping track of minutes in exchange for time blocks.Ĭhildren need meaningful learning, not lots of activities. You have to welcome these special opportunities and make time for them. What if someone brought in something super special from home? No need to cringe…anymore. Children learn the most when they are deep in play, so I have to protect that time! The key to my perfect schedule is providing predictability and flexibility. Come take a peek inside my veteran teacher’s guide for making a preschool schedule. BUT this was it! It was just as sweet as I had hoped it would be. I spent years adapting schedules that were good, but not great. Call it the preschooltopia of all schedules. It only took me 10 years, but I finally found my dream preschool schedule.
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