# Designing Classroom Routines

Edward Bovey, Abby Hodges, Ellie Bold  
PELE Center, Morgridge College of Education  
University of Denver

**Webinar Tips**

1. Close any applications that use bandwidth or resources on your device.  
2. To submit a question, click “Questions” in the webinar panel and type in your question.  
3. If you experience audio issues, you can switch to “Phone Call” in the “Audio” section of the webinar panel and use the dial-in information provided.

---

## Unpacking the Pyramid Model: A Practical Guide for Preschool Teachers  
Created by Pyramid Model developers and experts, this is the first book to provide a comprehensive, step‐by‐step overview of the Pyramid Model for children ages 2–5.

[bpub.fyi/Unpacking-PM](bpub.fyi/Unpacking-PM)

One attendee will be selected at random and emailed after the webinar. Submit your questions to increase your chances!

---

### Certificates  
Certificates of attendance are available for all webinar viewers. More information will be provided at the end of the webinar.

## The Importance of Engagement

- Engagement: child is engaged in contextually appropriate behavior.
- Engagement with teachers, peers, toys, materials and classroom activities is a Powerful Predictor of developmental growth.
- Engagement = Opportunities to learn!!!

---

### Predictable Routines  
Help children answer 4 vital questions that lead to higher levels of engagement.

1. How do I know what I’m doing right now?  
2. How do I know I’m making progress?  
3. How do I know when I’m finished?  
4. What do I do next?

### Breaking Down Your Day  
**Routines within Routines within Routines**

1. **Events (Routine1)**: The main parts of your daily schedule, think about your Daily Schedule. Make sure your schedule is balanced and consistent.  
2. **Activities(Routine2)**: The specific and consistent components that make up an Event.  
3. **Routines(Routine3)**: The steps that a child engages in to complete an Activity.

---

### Understanding Routines

#### Routines
1. Routine  
2. Routine  
3. Routine

| Routines(Event) | Routine with Routine(Activity) |
| --- | --- |
| Arrival | Go to Cubby |
| Wash Hands |  |
| Pick Centers |  |
| Question of the Day |  |
| Sign-In |  |

| Routine within Routine with Routine(Routine) |
| --- |
| Hang up Coat, Unzip Backpack, Take our snack & put in bin, Zip up backpack, hang up Backpack |
| Turn on Water, Get Soap, Wash hands,Rinse,Turn off water,Get towel,Dry hands,Throw away towel |
| Get Play Pass, go to area,hand up name |
| Get Name,Answer question,Get peer |
| Accept Name from peer,Sign in,pick next child,give them name |

---

### Example - Opening Circle  
| Routine(Event) | Routine within Routine(Activity) |
| --- | --- |
| Opening Circle | Welcoming Song |
| Child Choice Song |  |
| Social Skill Lesson |  |
| Choose Centers |  |
  
| e | Routine within Routine within Routine (Routine) |
| --- |
|  | Adult selects helper  
Helper passes out the song prop  
Teacher Prompt“Hands Up”  
Sing Song  
Adult selects 2nd helper  
Helper collects the song prop |
|  | Adult selects helper  
Helper picks song  
Helper leads song |
|  | Adult introduces social skill  
Adult models social skill  
Adult picks child to practices social skill with adult  
Adult picks 2nd child, children practice social skill |
|  | Adult selects helper,  
Helper shows play pass and hands Play Pass to Peers  
Helper asks peer,“Where do you want to play?”  
Peer selects center and reads sentence strip |

### Teaching the Routines
- Instruction about the routine
- General visual supports
- Reinforcement of appropriate behavior

---

### Instruction  
- Ideal time to provide instruction in how to do a routine is during that routine!  
- What can and can’t the child do Independently  
- Provide support in the Zone of Proximal Development

### Visual Supports
1. Classroom-wide visual supports  
   - Visual Schedule  
2. Activity specific visual supports  
   - Sign In Routine

---

### Classroom-Wide Visuals

#### Visual Schedules  
#### Activity Specific Visuals

---

### Reinforcing Children’s Appropriate Behavior
- Catching kids being good (when children are engaged in an Activity/Routine, teachers can highlight expectations by providing positive descriptive feedback).
- Use of additional visuals (Marble Jar, Bee Bands)

---

### Partnering with Families
- Collaborative planning for intervention across settings  
- Consistency between school and home  
- Facilitating generalization  
- Increase number of opportunities to practice skills

### Resources
- **Classroom Visuals:**  
  - [headstartinclusion.org/tools-and-supports/classroom-visuals-and-supports](https://headstartinclusion.org/tools-and-supports/classroom-visuals-and-supports)  
- **Video Example – Using an Individual Schedule**  
  - [vimeo.com/346003184](https://vimeo.com/346003184)  
- **Video Example – Using a Daily Schedule**  
  - [vimeo.com/346003184](https://vimeo.com/346003184)

---

### Thank You  
- Ted.Bovey@du.edu  
- Abby.Hodges@du.edu  
- Ellie.Bold@du.edu

---

### Certificates  
Certificates of attendance are available for download from the “Handouts” section of the webinar panel or from the URL below:
[bpub.fyi/UPM-Routines-Cert](bpub.fyi/UPM-Routines-Cert)

---

### COVID-19 Resources
- Recommended reading
- Downloadable resources
- Professional development webinars
[bpub.fyi/COVID-EC](bpub.fyi/COVID-EC)