The Power of Using Everyday Routines to Promote Young Children's Language and Social Skills
An enormous amount of learning can take place when children are involved in daily routines such as bathing, feeding, diaper changing and riding in a car – things that parents do with their children every day. These daily events are so important because they provide opportunities for repetitive learning in a natural, enjoyable yet predictable way.
What do Children Learn in Routines?
Think of all the things that parents do with their children in any given day. They dress and feed them, bathe them and help them brush their teeth. It is within the context of such daily routines that a young child begins to make sense of their world. This involves understanding:
- how their world is organized – e.g. after waking up, they get dressed, brush their teeth and then have breakfast
- the words that people say in relation to each routines
- social roles - such as how to start a conversation (initiate) and how to respond appropriately when the other person starts it
- how to participate with others in a conversation (even before a child can talk) as an equal conversational partner
Goals in Every Routine
Since there are goals in all routines, it is clear to the child what has to be done. For example, the goal of getting dressed is for the child to end up wearing their clothes, socks and shoes. The goal of riding in a car is to be seated and buckled up for the ride. Each routine consists of a series of small steps, such as opening the car door, climbing into or being put into the seat, sitting on the seat and then being buckled. Some routines have special language that goes along with them - e.g., “Time to get dressed” or “Let’s go for a ride.”
The easy way isn’t always the better way
It is often easier and faster for the parent to lead the child through routines. Everyone is busy! However, if the parent is always the one who performs the parts of the routine - e.g., turning on the water or putting on the child’s shoes when they can start to learn to do it themselves, the child isn’t’ getting the opportunities to feel more independent. On the other hand, if the parent waits for the child to perform an action, such as letting the child try to turn on the water or squeeze toothpaste onto the toothbrush, the child begins to understand what their role can be. This is a very powerful experience in helping a child understand that they are capable and can take on another person’s role or perspective, an important part of effective two-way social interaction.
Encourage the child to take on a more active role
In the beginning, the parent does most of the work, such as pulling the t-shirt over the child’s head or putting toothpaste on the toothbrush and brushing the child’s teeth. However, as the child participates in the routine over and over with their parents, they gain confidence and their role changes. Gradually they do and say more. For example, they may even tell the parent what comes next or ask for what they need. They may even start or request the routine. As the child’s active participation grows, so does their independence and self-esteem.
Turning Routines into Opportunities for Learning
The following guidelines are helpful in building opportunities for the child to participate and learn during routines:
Break routines into a series of small consistent steps so that there’s a shared understanding of how the routine works - make sure that you conduct the routine the same way each time, saying the same things at each step to help the child become very familiar with how it works.
Be flexible - young children learn best when you follow their lead. If the child wants to roll on the bed when they are putting on their pyjamas, work it into the routine by saying, “First, put on your pyjamas and then you can roll on the bed.” If the child sees that there is a reward for following the steps of the routine, they will be more likely to do as you say. And just as much learning can take place in a playful game of rolling on the bed as in putting on pyjamas!
Label what the child is interested in at the very moment they are focused on it - studies show that the most important aspect of helping children learn the meaning of a word is timing. For example, if the child looks at the pizza and says “Yummy!” and the adult says, “Let me get you some water”, that won’t help the child learn the word “pizza”, which is what really interests him at that very moment.
Be creative - routines can be made out of anything that a parent and the child do together regularly. Routines can be created around planting or watering plants, changing a bandage, feeding the cat or baking cookies. The best learning opportunities are the ones that are the most interactive and fun!
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