Chantal 0:02
preschoolers don't really come with a manual, do they? You want to spend your day helping them grow, and enjoying the magic of learning through the eyes of a preschooler. You also want to help them deal with all the big feelings that come with being three or four. But real talk, you don't have a lot of time. We need to prep for the day with confidence, and ditch the stress that sometimes comes along the way. I got you. Welcome to the preschool Made Easy podcast. I'm your host, Chantal, a kinder teacher turned curriculum designer, and preschool consultant, and I'm here to help you make this school year, the best one yet, let's get to the show.
Have you ever realized the amount of signs that we see every day in our own daily routine, There must be hundreds of them everywhere. And we really don't pay much attention to them because they've always been so consistent. So we already know what they mean. What if I told you that you could give your littles the same feeling of consistency and security, but with a visual classroom schedule?
Hey, hey, my friend, you're listening to Episode 10. And today, we're talking about why your class needs a visual schedule, how to create one for your kiddos, and how you can communicate it with school staff and your classroom parents. A schedule really helps your children get prepared for the real world. But you know what else will help them get ready for kindergarten. My Kinder readiness checklist has every skill they need, and will help you keep track of how your students are progressing. So head over to the show notes now to grab your free copy. All right, let's get started.
It's no secret that children need visual aids for pretty much everything. A Visual Schedule provides a clear and structured representation of the daily routine, which really helps them understand and anticipate what's going to come next. This predictability creates a sense of security and therefore reduces anxiety and children because they can visually see the progression of activities throughout the day. By having a visual schedule displayed in front of the classroom or in a spot that they frequent and at their eye level. Teachers can create a positive learning environment that fosters a sense of structure and consistency, which we all know is incredibly beneficial for littles who thrive on routine. visual schedules actually promote communication and comprehension and preschoolers, so many of them are visual learners. So when you see pictures or icons to represent activities, you're really helping them understand the concept and a sequence of events.
Now let's talk about the cognitive and social emotional benefits of it. It supports their cognitive development, by improving their ability to follow instructions and transition between tasks smoothly. Now in episodes eight and nine, I talked all about transitions. So if you haven't listened to those yet, go ahead and catch up on those because they're filled with really quick tips that you can start to date. A visual schedule also encourages independence and self regulation, as children can refer to the schedule on their own. This reduces the amount of times that you have to spend reminding them verbally because you already know we have to say things 1000 times before it's actually heard once. They are now empowered with a sense of responsibility and self confidence because they are actively participating in their own daily routines.
Here's my favorite benefit. visual schedules promote inclusive learning environments. Wow, that word inclusive is just so powerful, isn't it? They can be especially helpful for children with diverse learning styles, developmental delays or special needs, just because they provide an equal opportunity for all students to access the information and participate in classroom activities. The greatest feeling ever I know. Now, by using these visuals, teachers can really cater to different learning preferences and create that amazing inclusive classroom culture. Where every child feels valued and understood is not the ultimate goal. Not to mention, when you actively use the visual schedule in your preschool class, it's proven to be a powerful tool that facilitates effective teaching boosts your kiddos learning outcomes and nurtures their holistic development. That's pretty much checking off the whole list from your admin visits, right.
Alrighty, now let's move on to how to create your visual schedule. A visual preschool schedule helps your littles understand the flow of their day. Before creating the schedule. First, you want to take some time to really understand the daily routine of your class of Observe the different activities observed play time, their snack breaks and even their nap times. Understanding the sequence of events will help you design a clear and accurate visual schedule. Next, you're going to choose the format. There are numerous formats for visual schedules, like a poster or a whiteboard, maybe even some individual cards in a pocket chart. Think about your students preferences, and the practicality of the format for your specific class and where you're going to display it. Then you'll want to use clear and simple visuals for preschoolers simple and easily recognizable visuals work best. You can use pictures or even icons to represent each activity. Ensure that the images are large enough for children to see them from a distance and understand them easily. I would also encourage you to place them at Children's eye level or at least just low enough for them to see each picture. Now you're ready to create your schedule, but make it flexible, right. Keep in mind that preschoolers thrive in an environment with flexibility. While it's important to maintain a routine, allow room for spontaneity and adjustments, things happen. Remember that not everything is written in stone and teach your kiddos this too. It's a really valuable lesson. Use removable visuals for activities that may change daily or weekly. The last step is to involve your children. I can't stress this enough. When you include your preschoolers in the creation of the visual schedules. It really gives them a sense of ownership and understanding. Talk about the activities with them, let them choose some of the visuals and encourage them to help with the schedule together. This could look like maybe just giving them three options for one of the activities that they absolutely love, and then narrowing it down to just one you can do a class vote and teach them a little bit about democracy or how it is that a majority vote wins right and works.
Now that we have our visual preschool schedule ready, let's talk about the importance of how we can communicate it with our school staff and parents. I recommend sharing it with school staff in a number of different ways. You can either make copies and distribute them, you can post it outside of your classroom door or maybe on a bulletin board. Or you can simply email your schedule to the staff. This way, everybody's on the same page. You're not getting those interrupting knocks on your door, or people just walking in and totally throwing off your storytime, because we all know how this can affect your kids. Right? And we don't want that. So providing your staff with your schedule will really help maintain consistency throughout the day. Take some time to explain to the school staff. Why a visual schedule is beneficial for preschoolers. Let them know that it reduces anxiety. It enhances their understanding and really encourages positive behavior. Because isn't that what everyone wants? Lastly, involve your parents in the process by sharing the visual schedule with them. You can do this through parent teacher conferences, emails, posting out on the parent board or even sending home those classroom newsletters. Encourage your parents to create a similar schedule at home to maintain consistency. Oh, here's a PS little top secret for you that I've personally had done in my home and it's worked like a charm. The kiddos love when their parents make a similar schedule at home. I think you'll like that one.
Okay, so let's recap before creating your A class visual schedule, you'll want to fully understand your daily routines. Next, you're going to choose a format that best suits your class and your kiddos preferences. Then you're going to use clear and simple visuals to represent each activity. You're later going to make sure that you create a flexible schedule that allows for adjustments. And lastly, you're going to involve your littles in the process to instill a sense of ownership. Remember, effective communication with school staff and parents is crucial for the successful implementation of the visual schedule. So think about how you'll do this and then let them know. I'm so excited for you to get your visual schedules done, and start using them with your kiddos. Make sure to join our Facebook group and post your schedule pics there so we can share them with other teachers. It's also the best place to ask questions. If you need a little help. You can find the link to our Facebook group in the show notes. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I love creating content to support you on your preschool journey. So if you enjoyed this episode, reach out to me on Instagram and let me know what resonated or any questions you may have. Let's keep the conversation going. So we can support more preschool teachers and parents, just like you see in the next episode.