The beginning of the year brings many transitions for children across Flinders. Children, families and educators are all become familiar with new spaces and faces as we embark on new adventures; some for the first time.
During the beginning of the year, all programs at Flinders have a strong focus on rhythm and routine. Predictable, familiar environments provide children with an opportunity to feel a sense of agency as they move through their day. Rhythms, routines and rituals help us all establish a sense of belonging, finding the familiar in the unfamiliar.
The importance of predictability is important not only during big transitions like moving houses, but also through the many smaller transitions children experience each day as they enter and exit spaces. Having a ritualised pattern of actions on entering and exiting the Flinders environments can allow children to feel a sense of control over their day; they know what is happening and what will happen next. Some children even benefit from the same words being spoken each day as they prepare to enter their House.
Our programs provide rhythm in children’s days by providing enough structure that children can predict what happens next (after lunch we have a sleep) and enough flexibility to allow for spontaneous or emerging projects (group time is running late because we were watching a koala walk through our garden out of the window).
Does your family have special rituals, routines or rhythms? You might like to share them in a comment.
My daughter attends your childcare and tells me about these rituals. “We always sleep after lunch”. At home we have a few rituals too – we read at night before sleeping, we make breakfast together in the morning, and we play in the back yard together in the evenings.
Hello Svetal, thank you for your comment. It is wonderful to know our routines and rhythms are known by children. It sounds like you have some wonderful family rituals too! Flinders Educator