Establishing predictable routines and clear roles in preschool helps even the youngest students grow in their ability to make decisions, take on responsibilities, and accomplish tasks independently.
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It may seem like preschool students need a lot of help to get through the day. But when preschoolers are empowered to navigate their options and take responsibility for their actions, they become more independent. At the Serra Preschool in San Francisco, California, teachers set students up for success by giving their young learners the space and tools to make choices on their own throughout the day. With consistent daily routines, helpful classroom jobs, and a mistake-friendly play-based environment, the littlest learners build self confidence—and develop a foundation for future leadership skills and academic success.
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I haven't seen you for so long.
You're so big!
And they wanted to come in together.
We're looking to build self-confidence and self-reliant children.
We're looking for children to be great critical thinkers
and be able to make their own good decisions.
That takes practice.
Because we allow children to make their own decisions
and to explore the world around them in a safe place,
we see self-confident and joyful children.
The Sarah Preschool is a three-year program.
We're very child-oriented and we know what it means to play.
Children learn through play.
They learn success and they learn failure.
It is a developmental milestone for them to come to school
and to become aware of the fact that they are autonomous
or becoming autonomous.
You carry it. Where does it go?
Let's go. Go put it on the drying rack.
The more capable they feel about their successes,
the more likely they are to be comfortable making mistakes
until they make the right decision.
Come on in, Louisa. I'll see you inside.
Their day begins with greeting the teachers.
I put my picture on there so every teacher will know that I'm there.
Then they take off their shoes, put them on the rack,
find their cubbies and check in with the front-room teacher.
You see the job chart.
Children need responsibilities and they seek them out,
so we're always looking for those opportunities.
As the day continues,
they'll hear that the art room and the block room area are open
and the outside opens at the same time.
They need to make choices.
What will they be interested in doing now?
They grow in their capacity to be self-directed.
They become very well-ordered and organized.
They feel responsible for their own behaviors
and they feel responsible as a group for things to go smoothly.
And it's already time to go.
By the time they're ready to leave us,
we have a cooperative group of children
that are often considered leaders in the next step
in the classroom, elementary classrooms,
because of their ability to cooperate,
to have empathy and compassion for other people
and to be good problem solvers.
