Early childhood is foundational for learning and development. At this time of life, both educators and caregivers play a vital role in establishing positive routines and habits that support growth.
“A child’s first and most important teacher is their caregiver, so it’s crucial to look at this relationship as a partnership,” indicates Kathleen Woodward, nationally certified school psychologist and senior assessment consultant for Pearson. While educators can introduce and reinforce the significance of key milestones and consistent schedules in the classroom, ensuring there is structure and stability in the school and home environments can help set the stage for well-rounded early childhood progress.
What are milestones — and are children meeting them?
Most caregivers proudly notice when their child reaches certain milestones, especially significant ones like learning to walk and talk. And, for generations of parents, it’s almost been a rite of passage to sit with other families and watch kids play together, noting how well one child shares or the ease with which another child tackles the monkey bars.
However, the pandemic disrupted these norms by limiting opportunities for socialization and interaction outside the home. Reduced access to settings such as playgrounds, preschools and playdates meant that children had fewer chances to engage with peers and learn essential social skills. As a result, some children may not have reached the expected milestones when they arrive in the classroom. Additionally, caregivers may be unaware of potential delays in their child’s development because there’s been less exposure to other families and kids. That’s why it’s particularly critical for educators to be vigilant and proactive in monitoring progress among the latest cohort of kids entering school.
If you recognize or suspect a delay, performing an assessment is the best first step, says Woodward. “By identifying students who need extra support, the educational team can begin providing early intervention, which puts them on the path to success,” she explains.
Woodward advocates for a team approach that includes professionals from different disciplines, such as the classroom teacher, a speech-language pathologist, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist and a psychologist. This approach allows for holistic evaluation with multiple perspectives that ensure each child receives the most appropriate individual services at the right time.
As the child’s advocate, caregivers are an important element of a child’s support team, and they should not be left out of the loop. “Early childhood educators play a foundational role in forging bonds that will set the stage for strong relationships with families over the child’s educational journey, and caregiver communication must be a priority,” says Woodward. She suggests sharing resources such as the “CDC’s Developmental Milestones” to help level set expectations. For example, by age three, most children can describe the action in a book, use a fork and interact with other children by asking them to play.
Demystifying habits and routines as frameworks for growth
Habits and routines are separate but interrelated concepts, and they can serve as building blocks to meeting key milestones.
Habits are behaviors that are repeated regularly. They often occur automatically, without the person giving them much thought. These are typically formed through repetition and reinforcement — for example, when you return home, you leave items that you’ll need the next day by the front door so they are easy to find.
Routines are sets of actions that are performed regularly and in a particular order. They help provide structure and predictability to the day. For example, the “get out the door” routine might include conducting personal grooming activities, saying goodbye to other family members and pets, putting on shoes, and grabbing coats and backpacks. When caregivers introduce these steps and then do them in the same way each time, kids learn to expect what comes next. This learned expectation can lessen frustrations for caregivers and children; for example, a child might be less likely to balk at putting on their shoes, coat and backpack since they’ve just said goodbye to their siblings, and they know that’s the signal they’re leaving.
Establishing routines can help children grasp the concept of a sequence of events, which, in turn, can help them learn the steps of any routine. Educators can assist parents with creating easy-to-follow routines by providing examples of how to break one down into simple steps. This tool, known as task analysis, is often used by practitioners such as occupational therapists and school psychologists to break a more complex task into its component parts. Simpler steps make it easier for a child to make progress toward the longer-term goal of independence.
The process of a child achieving independence might involve cueing, either verbally or through a pictorial chart, then gradually allowing the child to assume control as they master each part of a task. One thing to keep in mind is that caregivers often mentally check a box for something they believe their child can do without recognizing the gap between what their child can do independently, chooses to do independently, or the extent to which they rely on their caregiver. As a result, a caregiver might be offering step-by-step directions for a task without even realizing it, inadvertently denying the child the opportunity to do it on their own.
A healthy partnership between home and school
Educators and caregivers are allies in setting up children for early educational success. With established positive habits and consistent routines in class and at home, children can feel secure within predictable daily rhythms that fuel cognitive, social and emotional progress.
For more resources on supporting children in reaching milestones, visit Pearson’s Early Childhood Resource Center.
