Early Childhood Classroom Routines Create Success

When one of our three-year-old students noticed a sad classmate, she walked over, rubbed her friend’s back, and took her hand for a comforting walk. This wasn't conicidence—it was the result of intentional routine-building that happens every day in our PreSchool and PreKindergarten classrooms. 

At The Country School, we understand that the classroom routines established in the early years create the foundation for lifelong success. As experienced PreSchool and PreKindergarten teachers, we know that building strong habits isn't about rushing into curriculum, it's about giving young children the time and structure they need to develop executive functioning skills that will serve them throughout their educational journey.

We first model many of our routines, and we take days and days to model over and over and repeat. Then we step back and give time to let the children go through the routines independently. We can't assume our students come in knowing what your expectations are. So it is important to continue modeling daily.

This approach requires patience and trust. We build in time for children to think through each step of a routine, allowing natural consequences when a step is missed. 

The result is children as young as three are able to take genuine ownership of their day.

Walk into any of our PreSchool or PreKindergarten classrooms and you'll notice visual schedules at children's eye level. Each day, a different child leads the class through the day's schedule, and students naturally gravitate toward these visual guides when they need reassurance. Sometimes the children get upset because they don't know what's happening next. That’s when we  direct our students to look at the schedule of the day, and then they start to do it on their own.

This predictability gives young children something precious: the ability to manage their own emotions and anticipate transitions. They begin to understand time in their own way—"only two more things until snack"—building internal regulation rather than depending on adults to manage every moment.

The Country School follows the Responsive Classroom approach, which emphasizes the first six weeks of school as a time for building community, establishing routines, and setting expectations. In our private PreSchool and PreKindergarten programs, we extend this timeline even further, recognizing that our youngest learners need additional time to adjust to new classrooms, teachers, and peers.

We begin with intention from day one. We prioritize a slow, intentional start—introducing routines and expectations thoughtfully over the first few weeks. This means we're teaching everything from hand-washing expectations to morning pickup routines with the same care we'd teach academic content. Because these habits are the curriculum in the early years.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of our approach is what we don't do. We don't rush to help when a child can help themselves. We don't carry their bags at drop-off. We don't erase the message board for them or solve every small problem. We give children the time and space they need to take ownership—whether it’s carrying their own bags or managing their routines. It’s all part of helping them discover, "I can do this!"

This philosophy extends beyond physical tasks to emotional and social development. When our teachers witness acts of kindness, they bring it back to the classroom for "kindness shout-outs," reinforcing empathy by highlighting the children's own organic behaviors rather than lecturing about what kindness means.

Our goal is to set every child up for success. We know that this success looks different for each child and recognize that while some students grasp a routine after a few repetitions, others need more one-on-one support. Our programs and low student-to-teacher ratios in our Madison, CT, PreSchool and PreKindergarten allow us to provide that individualized attention.

This is true for any student at any age, and these foundational skills matter at every developmental stage.

The habits your child builds in their PreSchool and PreKindergarten years will shape how they approach learning, friendship, and challenges for years to come. At The Country School, we're not just teaching routines, we're building confident, capable, empathetic young people who know they can handle what comes next.

This event is free and open to the public—bring a friend and discover what makes The Country School's approach to early childhood education truly exceptional.