Newsletter - Head Start Happenings: November 2025

Miranda Osburn
Nov 9
2 min read

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The Importance of Schedules and Routines

Familiar activities can provide comfort for both adults and children during challenging and uncertain times. Just like adults, children feel more confident and secure when their daily activities are predictable and familiar. A consistent daily schedule and step-by-step routines give children a predictable day.

Schedules and routines in the group care setting and at home help children:

• Feel in control of their environment

• Feel safe, secure, and comfortable

• Know what is happening now and what comes next

• Know how to do an activity or task

• Engage in learning

When infants and toddlers are part of familiar activities and routines, they develop relationships with people they interact with and gain a sense of belonging and self-confidence.

As older toddlers and your children grow, they can follow routines, demonstrate emerging independence and adjust to change more easily.

Engaging, predictable environments and ongoing positive adult-child interactions are necessary for promoting children’s social and emotional development and preventing challenging behaviors. You can help by following clear and simple schedules and routines. (Hemmeter, Ostosky, and Fox 2006).

Eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/about-us/article/importance-schedules-routines

“Nine-tenths of education is encouragement”

-Anatole France, French Writer