Graphics Created on Canva by LAW
By Lea Winnen November 19, 2024
Many young children may not understand “going to bed by 8 pm” or “Joe’s birthday is on Saturday at 2 pm.” The idea of a specific time frame or even “yesterday versus tomorrow” can be a challenge. Children start to see a difference and have a basic understanding of time (Morning, afternoon, and night) between the ages of 4-5, and very young children can understand that “after lunch, is nap time”, but they do not have a good sense of specifics. A specific note of time could be “We are going to clean up in 5 minutes” or “You need to brush your teeth for 2 minutes.” They may understand they are subjected to a specific quantity of time but are not sure how the framework moves. A good way to introduce young children to a specific quantity could be to use a visual timer. Visual timers with alarms set to a specific measurement of time help to build an understanding of how time works. Another concept may be to use a visual monthly or weekly calendar. Many preschool and kindergarten classes use these methods to assist in giving children a sense of how time may operate from monthly and weekly frameworks.
Just the other morning my son woke up asking, “Is today
Christmas?” I attempted to tell him; we
still had a few weeks to go, but the actual specifics were lost on him. What does a “few weeks” mean for him? He knows that after Halloween, Christmas is
not far behind. Plus, he also has the indication that Christmas is coming due
to what he sees at school or in stores.
This can be frustrating to a young child when they have no idea how to
comprehend the movement and measurement from time at this scale. For example: Joe may know he has a
birthday. He may know it is May 5th,
and that his birthday party is on “Saturday at 2 pm”, but with all that
information, he may not fully comprehend what it means for him. He knows he has a birthday party coming, and
he knows there will be gifts and cake.
So of course he is getting excited by these concepts. This excitement
might turn to frustration on Joe’s part because he doesn’t understand that he
still has a week to go.
Why is this important?
How can a visual schedule help Joe at this time? When young children
deal with moments of frustration, they may have tantrums and act out. Joe may
feel by Wednesday a mounting frustration over having his questions regarding
his birthday party being met with a “not yet, Joe”. Joe may decide to engage in a series of
tantrums or acting out, due to his frustration, not understanding what is
happening, and why his birthday party is not today. In turn, this can make engaging in everyday
tasks difficult not only for Joe, but also for his parents, teachers, and other
caregivers.
Now, take this idea of Joe being an average child and how a
parent might try to explain the idea of time and how it works. Using an abstract concept would be very
difficult for Joe to grasp. Give him a
calendar with visuals to show the countdown to the final day, and he will have
a better grasp with fewer behavior issues.
What if Joe was a child with special needs? How could a parent explain the specifics of
time measurement? A child with special
needs may have a much more difficult time with how time moves. Even engaging in everyday schedules can
become a challenge. Many special needs
children may require a visual checklist for understanding how to break down,
not only one task; but a series of visual schedules to assist in understanding
how they may need to move through any given day.
Giving a child with special needs (or any child that may
benefit from them) a visual schedule can cover any number of tasks and time
frames. You could break down what a
schedule might look like for a day by adding visual icons with vocal prompts to
show what is happening and when. An
example of this might look like see below:
This is what a schedule might look like in a morning preschool classroom. You will notice that under each main time frame is a breakdown of what the “goals” of the time frame might look like with more icons. A written schedule (with a numbered time quantity) and a picture expose children to literacy and an interpretation of what those actions will look like. It will assist them in promoting independence, cultivating cooperation, and developing a sense of self.
For a breakdown of what a schedule, for an activity or daily
habit-building routine, might look like See the example below. You will notice
that I did not use words to describe the actions. Depending on your purpose for your visual
schedule, you may omit the literacy portion. Children who are very young or
need simpler visual icons could use this type of schedule. This schedule would also be good to use with
non-verbal children, and special needs children, who require a simpler format
due to overstimulation.
You can also build these types of schedules into a learning
tool. You can cut out the icons and make
a puzzle board with Velcro to encourage and solidify the tasks on the schedule,
as in what comes first, second, etc. A
child can engage in making a game out of these visual schedules, during these
tasks to make the experience more enjoyable.
A Young child, a child with special needs, and others can benefit
from the introduction of visual schedules.
It gives them a concrete idea of how a measurement of time will look
like in their daily lives, and how to break down different tasks and routines into
manageable sessions that are easy to understand. Visual schedules can cultivate independence,
coordination, and develop confidence. Children,
parents, teachers, and caregivers will develop an easy rhythm of working
together, and help to decrease frustrations.
They can be turned into learning tools to increase self-help skills, and
introduce conversations for literacy, critical thinking skills, and social-emotion
interactions. Visual schedules can be a
wonderful tool to promote healthy- and proactive learning environments!
Comments
Post a Comment