Each day in circle time, I bring out the chart of daily activities. I explain to the students that we have already completed our morning activities as I point to the card that says Morning Activities. I then ask the students; “What comes next?” they scream out each card until we get to nap-time, which is the last thing we do for the day. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, I ask the students what special activities do we have that day. They usually know that we have computer time on Wednesdays and Show-in-tell on Thursdays.
Even though hand-washing and potty breaks are not on the chart, I ask students before each activity “What comes next?”. I think that it is important for students to understand what is expected of them and how their day will be.
I find that my students are calmer when I stick to the schedule. If I am all over the place, they are too. And that can be unsafe for the students because they will create their own fun.
Providing routines will also help in class management. And help the students understand increasingly complex directions and requests, which will increase their personal and social skills. As they learn to “Understand one-and two-step  instructions and requests about familiar routines.”
