Young students face the most difficulty in sitting quietly inside a classroom since the experience is relatively new to them and they are not used to the school information management system and its patterns of learning. Initially, this is difficult to cope with the routine set by teachers. Facing unfamiliar students and teachers is also pretty difficult at this age because they cannot adapt to new environments as easily as an adult does. They need a good routine that helps them feel safe and comfortable in the classroom environment.
Teachers have a lot of routines to follow but the same pattern is not compatible with every grade. It might be the same for middle schoolers and high schoolers because there is not much of a difference apart from the intensity of the syllabus and practical applications derived. However, kindergarteners have an entirely different form of learning. It needs to be more interactive and less monotonous to grab their attention and keep it for long durations to maximize learning. These are the goals that teachers should keep in mind while making a routine for young learners;
- A more fun way of learning through interaction and communication.
- Allowing students to be free yet disciplined inside a classroom.
- Build social skills.
- Eliminate competition of all forms.
- Ensure safety from the virus, and other things that might harm them physically or mentally.
- Make them believe a routine will help them learn while having fun.
- Balance different kinds of learning activities.
- Ensure every child leaves the classroom happy.
Here are some tips that teachers can follow in both LMS portals and offline classes;
Established target language
Teachers should not schedule lesson plans in English or any other language which is the adopted language of the institution for learning. These are three to five-year-old students we are talking about, and they are not supposed to be fluent in whichever language the school medium is in. Instead of a human, educators should focus on understanding which child speaks in what regional language and what is their most comfortable means of communication. As a first step, this is extremely important to maintain the flow during classes.
Greeting students
The everyday routine should begin with positive greetings from the teacher to encourage students to look forward to the day. When students are pumped up before classes begin, they learn more because they are truly invested in the routine.
Circle round the classroom
No matter what list of activities and lessons teachers have planned for the day, circling the classroom once in a while is a must in every lesson. This activity helps teachers keep an eye out for students who are not maintaining discipline in the classroom and understand every child’s learning patterns or behavioral patterns.
Include nap time, playtime, reading time, and recreational time separately
All these activities might initially sound the same but when students participate in these activities, their skill enhancement takes place in different categories. For example, nap time can help them relax after they have learned something intense such as rhyming words. Playtime is further divided into indoor and outdoor playtime activities that promote creativity skills, and recreational time could allow students to do anything they like while remaining in the classroom premises.
This justifies the need for including every activity separately in the class routine. Teachers can select two exciting activities in their everyday routine and keep alternating the activities every day to keep students interested and having fun while learning.
End-of-day activities
Students should not be leaving in a rush. When they are hurrying to go home, there is something wrong with your routine which makes them dislike coming to classes. At the end of the day, children should have a considerable amount of time to recollect what they had done throughout the day, put away their books and notebooks by themselves to promote organizational skills, and have enough time to say goodbye to their friends and the teacher.
Simple and relaxed end-of-day activity helps students feel more familiar and comfortable in the school environment because it imitates how they mostly prepare to go outside when they are leaving home. They should understand that the school environment is a second home environment for them since they would be spending a lot of time here.