Classroom Schedule for 2 Year Olds

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1 Classroom Schedule for 2 Year Olds The most successful classroom schedule for 2 year olds is simple but well thought out. The teacher takes time to observe how the children use the materials. The teacher notices what they are interested in, what is working, and what is not. The teacher is careful about balancing active and quiet times and tries to have as few transitions as possible, understanding that too many changes can be disruptive to a young child. And even once school begins, even halfway through the school year and perhaps longer, the teacher knows the schedule can be tweaked when it s apparent that the day is not flowing as it should be. The teacher creates a plan, but knows that it does not have to be set in stone, that ideas can change at the last minute and that s okay. The teacher plans, but is also flexible. When keeping all of this in mind, a classroom schedule has been created that is developmentally appropriate for these young, curious, energetic children.

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3 This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Our preschool has two 2 s classes. One is Tuesdays only, and the other is on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It meets from 9:30 a.m. to noon. I teach the 2-day a week class, but both classes follow this schedule. After tweaking it several times over the course of many years, just like we have done with our 3 year olds class schedule, we have created a schedule that has worked very well for our children. Before I even begin, I cannot stress enough how important a picture schedule is, especially during the first weeks as the children get adjusted to the routine. You can print your own picture cards here. Arrivals We greet our children at the classroom door with warm greetings, the children say goodbye to their parents or caregivers, and we walk them into the classroom.

4 Free-Choice Centers We offer free-choice centers as soon as the 2 s arrive. They are not required to be at any center at any given time, but have the freedom to roam and explore at their own pace. The centers provided are: book corner, writing table, play dough, table activities, house corner, blocks and cars, science, art, easel and sensory. Also, during this time, if the weather is cooperating we open the door for outdoor exploration as well.

5 Outdoors We are lucky to have an outdoor area right outside our classroom. During the last half of centers time, we open the door and the children can go outside. (We have one teacher inside, one teacher outside, and our assistant is wherever we have the most children.)

6 Clean Up After an hour of centers and outdoor time, we are ready to clean up the classroom as a group. We model how we put the toys on the shelves and tidy the activity tables. We put away our playdough and art supplies and disinfect them since that is where we will have snack.

7 Group Time At the beginning of the year our group time (similar to a circle time) informal and I don t force anyone to sit while we read. As the year progresses and their attention spans grow, they sit on a carpet square while we read a short story and recite one of our favorite finger plays or dance to one of our favorite songs. This gets them used to sitting together and they will be ready for a more formal circle time in the 3 year old class the following year.

8 Snack A lot of independence takes place during snack time. We start from the very first day carefully showing the children how we wash our hands before and after snack, how we sit at the tables, and how we clean up our spots when we are finished.

9 Gym Our preschool resides in a church and we usually have access to either a large fellowship hall or a large activity room. Both areas have lots of toys that allow the children to use their large motor skills. We make sure they get at least 30 minutes of time moving their bodies.

10 Music & Movement When we return from large motor play, we end our morning with music and movement. This might be using rhythm sticks, instruments, dancing scarves, or singing to our favorite songs Departures As the parents gather in the hallway, we say goodbye to each other.

11 What schedule works best with your 2 year olds? Let me know in the comments section! You can find more teacher posts in this

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13 Don t forget to add signs to your learning centers! Click on the photo for more information:

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