Routines can become boring. You know you are an early childhood educator when your natural instinct is to sing during transitions. Recently I was giving directions and sang a tune while going through the steps. That is one way to make routines less boring for children. Another way to spice up daily routines for children is to embed natural reinforcers into the routines.
Doing the thing you need to do is followed by the thing you desire to do. That is a basic explanation of the Premack Principle. An example of Premack Principle is telling your child to do their homework first, and then they can join the neighborhood kids and jump on the trampoline in the backyard.
In his book “Atomic Habits,” James Clear talks about a coach he interviewed where he asked what sets really good athletes apart from others, and what do they do differently. The coach responded by saying that exceptional athletes are those that can overcome the boredom of training. Doing the same thing over and over while working toward something is often necessary to reach optimal performance and goals without the loss of motivation along the way. Motivating factors could be explored. Can we use this concept of Premack to prime the environment for routines?
I use the Premack Principle at home and work. We have a busy week in my household. When we move through Monday to Friday and do what we need to do, we get to do something fun at the end of our week. Friday afternoons I pick my daughter up from school and we meet up with friends at a coffee shop and knit. At work, I condition my writing practice with reinforcement. Once I complete a writing project, I buy myself a present. The Premack Principle is doing the thing I need to do, followed by the thing I really want. Sometimes the thing I need to do is already motivating and may not need a reinforcer, but other times natural or external reinforcement helps to stay motivated.
How can we leverage routine activities to promote child development and learning? We can support positive behaviors by understanding what motivates each child. Make routines more attractive by helping the child get what they want. Learn what the child desires and then create time in the schedule to make it happen once the child does what they need to do. Make the routine(s) fun for the child. Provide timely feedback integrated into the routine. We can support children’s behaviors by paying attention to routines.
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits. An easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. New York: Penguin Random House.
