4. Setting Children up for Success: Teaching Routines and Expectations

Have you ever had the experience of arriving somewhere new and having no idea what you were supposed to do? Maybe this was getting off an airplane in a new country where you didn’t know the language, joining a new exercise class and not knowing the routine, or attending a religious service for a different faith. It can be anxiety-provoking when we don’t know what to expect or what will happen.

In this video, we’ll explore the importance of having clear, consistent routines and expectations, and teaching young children how to follow these. We’ll look at an example of a library story time held during the summer for school-age children and share some things to consider as you create your own routines and expectations for your program. Let’s begin.

When children know routines, know the steps of a certain activity, and understand what to expect, they can participate more independently and in more meaningful ways. When we teach consistent routines and when children know the expectations, we also see a decrease in disruptive or interfering behaviors. Clear and consistent expectations set children up for success. This helps children know what to expect and how to act in certain situations, something all of us can appreciate.

Let’s look at an example. Imagine you’re running a new sensory-friendly story time at the local library designed to be inclusive for all children, especially for children with disabilities. On the first day of story time, things are tough. Before story time begins, over 20 families are waiting, and children of all ages are playing in the community room. It’s a bit loud, and some children are running around while others cling to caregivers and seem a bit nervous. You try to get the attention of the group to begin reading, but not everyone can hear you over the noise. So you start reading the first book, and a small group of early elementary-age children join you. However, the older children are still running around the space; some are singing, and one child is banging loudly on the door. The children listening to the book become distracted and leave or express frustration because they can’t hear. One child yells, “Be quiet,” which makes two others start to cry. You finish the story and move on to the next book, but you can’t help but feel this activity has been a huge failure. Not everyone can hear the story, kids are running all over, some are crying, and it feels so disorganized. You were so excited to share these great stories with the library community but aren’t sure how to structure this activity in a way that enables everyone to participate.

So let’s talk about teaching routines and expectations that could have made this activity run more smoothly and be more accessible for children and families. In this previous example, families and children weren’t given any information on what to expect or what to do during the story time. Imagine you spend the week planning for your next sensory-friendly story time. To make sure everyone knows what to expect, you create a schedule with pictures for each activity. Your schedule includes:

1. Settling in with crayons and a coloring sheet,
2. Stretch and sit (moving to the carpet space in an assigned way: small steps, tiptoeing, and skipping),
3. Story number one,
4. Take a Shake Break (taking a minute to shake it off and reset),
Story number two, and
5. Open mic (a chance to ask questions or comment on the stories read).

You post this on the library website for families to view ahead of time, plan to display it at the front of the room so everyone can see it when they arrive, and review this as story time begins. To structure the space, you make sure there’s enough space on the carpet and include some child-sized chairs and pillows for children to sit on. You also arrange the crayons and coloring sheets on the tables in a way that they’re easy to access when the children arrive. Finally, you create a quiet, comfortable space for anyone who might need to take a break and prepare a basket of quiet fidget toys that children can choose from.

On the day of story time, you set up the room and place a sign at the entrance of the library that reads, “Welcome to story time. Come in and choose a coloring sheet to color.” The baskets of crayons and coloring sheets are available as families arrive. You greet them warmly and review the posted visual schedule, letting everyone know that story time will always start out with a settling-in activity. You also point out the break area. After a few minutes, it’s time to begin, and you get the attention of the group with a gentle bell. You say, “Welcome to story time. I’m so glad you’re here. Please join me on the carpet and find a place to sit. There are kid chairs and pillows. Caregivers, feel free to have a seat or join children on the floor. Let’s begin.” You review the schedule, going over each part and sharing what families and children can expect. You explain that there will be two stories with a stretch break in between and time to ask questions at the end. You pass around the fidget basket, saying, “Sometimes it’s nice to hold something in your hands when you’re reading. Feel free to take a fidget if this sounds good to you. Please keep the fidget toys in your lap.” You read the first story and notice that children are sitting quietly and listening attentively. Many are making good use of the fidget toys. “Wow, this is a great group of listeners,” you say. For the Shake Break, you invite Elaine, a regular storytime attendee, to model how this is done. After everyone shakes and resets, you announce, “Great job with taking a Shake Break. Remember that if you have a fidget, keep it in your lap while I read the next story, and we’ll have time afterward for Open Mic.” At the end of the second story, you say, “That was such great listening, everyone. Before going home, we have 5 minutes for Open Mic,” as you point to the corresponding time on the visual schedule. You end story time with a gentle bell and by saying, “Everyone did such a great job listening and using the fidgets. I hope you can join us next week.”

With this structure in place, you notice many more children and families participating. Caregivers know what to do, and children are so much more engaged. The added organization of having clear expectations and a structured routine really improves story time for everyone.

So what could this look like in your program? Well, consider the following things: What exactly is the routine or the expectation? What should everyone do? What are the steps within this routine? How can your environment help children know what to do next? Think about how you’ll teach the routine or expectation. How will you show children exactly what to do? Will you use pictures or have another child demonstrate? Finally, you need to consider how to celebrate children who are following the expectations and the routine. How will you let them know that they’re doing the right thing? Make sure that children get lots of positive feedback as they’re learning, and if a child does not follow the routine as they’re just learning, that’s okay. Just help them do so. With more opportunities to practice, they’ll become more independent with each step. In some cases, children might need individual support, such as their own schedule, a favorite toy to hold, or a chair to sit in rather than on the carpet. In inclusive settings, everyone gets the help they need, so embrace that participation will look different for everyone.

Having clear routines and expectations is a foundational part of an inclusive setting. By letting everyone know exactly what to expect and what to do, you’re setting everyone up for success. Now think about your program. How can you create and teach consistent routines and expectations that help everyone participate?