Routines and Expectations
Consistent and equitable routines and expectations allow children to feel secure and build resilience.
The best practices (per GO NAPSACC) and the related resources in this section focus on supporting child care providers in building routines and expectations that allow all children to feel safe and secure and reduce stress and fear of the unknown. Recommendations and supports can be found for classroom schedules, consistent and clear expectations and follow-through, and effective transitions.
Best Practices
Select each GO NAPSACC best practice below to find related resources.
“The posted schedule for toddlers and preschoolers is current, accessible, visual, and reviewed with the children throughout the day.”
Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments
Summary: Free for providers. Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the social emotional assessment opens a suite of planning, learning, professional development, and implementation tools to understand further what the best practices are and how to make them happen in your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Sesame Street Visual Schedule
Summary: Colorable, customizable, and printable schedule cards with visual and written cues.
Source: Sesame Workshop
Tips for Teachers: Dual Language Learners
Summary: Classroom management strategies that support dual language learnings. These touch upon how to create clear classroom schedules and transitions, group students, and design classrooms to promote language development.
Source: National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning
Using Cues and Visuals
Summary: Video lessons found by scrolling down. Further still are printable resources such as a child care provider guide, family guide (English and Spanish), handout for specific examples on using cues and visuals, and using cues and visuals to support children with disabilities.
Source: ECE Resource Hub by the University of Virginia
Using Visuals to Support Children in the Early Learning Environment: Visual Schedule
Summary: Guide to using visuals and schedules for supporting children. Includes templates for visual cards and first/then boards.
“Toddler and preschool classrooms have posted (5 or less) classroom expectations/ rules that are positively stated and include visual representation and children’s home languages.”
Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments
Summary: Free for providers. Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the social emotional assessment opens a suite of planning, learning, professional development, and implementation tools to understand further what the best practices are and how to make them happen in your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Teaching Social-Emotional Skills: Social-Emotional Skills — General
Summary: Multiple materials that can guide classroom practice, including sets of positive expectations in multiple languages, guides to teaching social skills and addressing challenge behaviors, and a stop-go activity to actively teach children expectations.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
Tips for Teachers: Dual Language Learners
Summary: Classroom management strategies that support dual language learnings. These touch upon how to create clear classroom schedules and transitions, group students, and design classrooms to promote language development.
Source: National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning
Using Visuals to Support Children in the Early Learning Environment: Visual Schedule
Summary: Guide to using visuals and schedules for supporting children. Includes templates for visual cards and first/then boards.
“Educators proactively provide instruction to toddlers and preschoolers on the posted rules/expectations.”
A-to-Z’s of Early Childhood
Summary: Short videos, quick tips, and printable tip sheets on how to strengthen children’s development can be found under each letter of the alphabet. See “B” for Behavior, “D” for Disciple, “E” for Everyday Learning Opportunities and how to support them with positive attention, and “S” for Social and Emotional Development and Learning.
Source: University of Florida Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies
Behavioral Expectations and Positive Guidance
Summary: Age-appropriate positive guidance from birth to age 12.
Source: Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments
Summary: Free for providers. Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the social emotional assessment opens a suite of planning, learning, professional development, and implementation tools to understand further what the best practices are and how to make them happen in your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Teaching Social-Emotional Skills: Social-Emotional Skills — General
Summary: Multiple materials that can guide classroom practice, including sets of positive expectations in multiple languages, guides to teaching social skills and addressing challenge behaviors, and a stop-go activity to actively teach children expectations.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
Tips for Creating Structure and Rules
Summary: Designed for 2-to 4-year-olds, resources focus on building structure and rules, communication, positive discipline, and giving directions.
Source: Center for Disease Control
Tips for Teachers: Dual Language Learners
Summary: Classroom management strategies that support dual language learnings. These touch upon how to create clear classroom schedules and transitions, group students, and design classrooms to promote language development.
Source: National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning
Using Cues and Visuals
Summary: Video lessons found by scrolling down. Further still are printable resources such as a child care provider guide, family guide (English and Spanish), handout for specific examples on using cues and visuals, and using cues and visuals to support children with disabilities.
“Classroom rules/expectations and potential outcomes are applied consistently, fairly, and in a respectful manner to all children- regardless of past behavior or children’s social identities.”
Communication is Key
Summary: Practical tips and examples on how to communicate expectations and redirect young children.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers
Summary: Designed for parents of 2-to 4-year-olds, resources focus on encouraging good behavior and decreasing misbehavior using proven strategies like positive communication, structure and rules, clear directions, and consistent discipline and consequences. Find articles on a variety of skills, tips, and techniques; videos featuring parents, children, and parenting experts who demonstrate and discuss skills, and free print resources like chore charts and daily schedules.
Source: Center for Disease Control
Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments
Summary: Free for providers. Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the social emotional assessment opens a suite of planning, learning, professional development, and implementation tools to understand further what the best practices are and how to make them happen in your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Teaching Social-Emotional Skills: Teacher-Child Relationship
Summary: Multiple materials that can guide classroom practice, including information on positive communication and positive descriptive feedback, relationship-building strategies, re-teaching skills and routines after breaks, and individualizing approaches. See tracking guides for accessing your program’s use of positive communication and positive discipline.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Interventions
Teaching Tools for Young Children: Using Function-Informed Support to Address Challenging Behavior within Routines
Summary: This resource provides practitioners and coaches with practical, step-by-step strategies to help children who struggle with challenging behaviors during routines and activities, supporting their successful engagement.
“Each adult-directed activity is always shorter than 20 minutes.”
Child-Led Time
Summary: Overview of what child-led activities are and how they are distinguished from adult-led activities.
Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments
Summary: Free for providers. Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the social emotional assessment opens a suite of planning, learning, professional development, and implementation tools to understand further what the best practices are and how to make them happen in your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Sample Toddler Schedule
Summary: Sample daily schedule balancing adult-led and child-choice activity times.
Source: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Schedules, Routines, and Transitions
Summary: Templates “Balancing Daily Schedule” and “Building Routines” can be used to help providers plan positive transitions, and multiple visual cue cards can be printed for everyday use.
“Children are provided opportunities for self-directed play indoors and outdoors daily.”
Child-Led Time
Summary: Overview of what child-led activities are and how they are distinguished from adult-led activities.
Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments
Summary: Free for providers. Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the social emotional assessment opens a suite of planning, learning, professional development, and implementation tools to understand further what the best practices are and how to make them happen in your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
How to... Encourage Children’s Participation: Ensuring a Good Balance Between Adult-Led and Child-Led Activities
Summary: Examples of child-led activities indoors and out.
Source: Parenta
Sample Toddler Schedule
Summary: Sample daily schedule balancing adult-led and child-choice activity times.
Source: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Schedules, Routines, and Transitions
Summary: Templates “Balancing Daily Schedule” and “Building Routines” can be used to help providers plan positive transitions, and multiple visual cue cards can be printed for everyday use.
“Multiple strategies are used to ensure positive transitions for toddlers and preschoolers.”
Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) Bilingual Self-Assessments
Summary: Free for providers. Contacting a consultant and completing the online version of the social emotional assessment opens a suite of planning, learning, professional development, and implementation tools to understand further what the best practices are and how to make them happen in your child care.
Source: Go Nutritional and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (Go NAPSACC)
Helping Children Transition Between Activities
Summary: A variety of practical strategies to let children know what is coming next in order to reduce confusion, frustration, and challenging behaviors.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
Modifying Transitions and Routines
Summary: Video lessons found by scrolling down. Further still are printable resources such as a child care provider guide, family guide (English and Spanish), and transition visual cards printable handout.
Source: ECE Resource Hub by the University of Virginia
Schedules, Routines, and Transitions
Summary: Templates “Balancing Daily Schedule” and “Building Routines” can be used to help providers plan positive transitions, and multiple visual cue cards can be printed for everyday use.
Source: National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations
Teaching Tools for Young Children: Using Function-Informed Support to Address Challenging Behavior within Routines
Summary: This resource provides practitioners and coaches with practical, step-by-step strategies to help children who struggle with challenging behaviors during routines and activities, supporting their successful engagement.
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