Everyday Routines
When talk becomes routine, thinking becomes habit.
1️⃣ Introduction
In an Early Years classroom, the day is full of moments that repeat: greeting time, circle time, snack time, tidy-up, home time. These routines do much more than keep order — they are the rhythms of learning.
When talk is woven naturally into these rhythms, children learn that conversation is part of how we do everything. It’s not an “activity” to add on; it’s the invisible thread running through the whole day.
This page explores how everyday routines can nurture purposeful talk — the kind that builds confidence, language, and social connection in Bangladeshi classrooms and community centres.
2️⃣ Key Ideas and Evidence
Repetition Builds Security
Children thrive on repetition. Predictable talk routines (“What day is it today?”, “Who came to school?”) make children feel safe, seen, and ready to join in. Research shows that familiar conversational patterns help children build vocabulary, grammar, and confidence — because they know what’s coming next.
The HighScope approach and other global early-years models highlight that when routines are both reliable and interactive, talk increases and behaviour improves.
Talk Turns Routine into Learning
Every routine can double as a thinking routine.
- During morning greetings, children practise recalling information (“I came with my father.”)
- During snack, they learn descriptive and comparative language (“My banana is longer than yours!”)
- During clean-up, they plan and sequence actions (“First blocks, then puzzles.”)
Even a one-minute “turn to a friend” after a story strengthens reasoning and oral fluency. Studies show that such short “peer talk bursts” improve comprehension, memory, and confidence.
Plan–Do–Review: Talk as a Cycle of Thinking
The Plan–Do–Review routine, used globally (including in BRAC’s Play Labs and HighScope classrooms), turns daily play into a mini-learning cycle:
- Plan – Children say what they want to do (“I will build a bridge.”)
- Do – They carry it out.
- Review – They describe what happened (“My bridge fell. I made it again.”)
This encourages forward thinking, reflection, and language for cause and effect — skills that lead directly to problem-solving and early reasoning.
3️⃣ What This Means for Teachers in Bangladesh
Bangladeshi classrooms are lively, social, and full of energy — the perfect environment for talk. The challenge is to use that energy purposefully, so that talk helps children think rather than distract.
Small Things, Big Impact
| Routine Moment | How to Make It a Talk Opportunity |
|---|---|
| Arrival | Ask: “Who brought you today?” or “What did you see on the road?” |
| Circle time | Add one open-ended “thinking question” daily: “What do you think the weather will be like?” |
| Snack | Encourage comparison: “Who has more? What colour is sweet?” |
| Play time | Join play, narrate actions, or ask: “What are you building?” |
| Clean-up | Use talk to plan sequence: “What’s next?” / “Who will do that part?” |
| Home time | Recap: “What was the best thing you did today?” |
Active Ingredients: What Makes Routine Talk Work
| Ingredient | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Consistency | Children learn faster when routines follow a predictable pattern. |
| Active listening | A teacher’s genuine attention encourages longer responses. |
| Equal participation | Every child rehearses talk — not just volunteers. |
| Warm correction | Rephrase rather than criticise: “Yes, you went to school!” |
| Mother tongue | Enables full expression; English or Bangla can be layered later. |
“When I stopped rushing through snack time, it became our best talk time.” – Teacher, Chattogram
Real-Life Example: Parveen’s Plan–Do–Review Routine
Setting Community preschool, Khulna Teacher Parveen Akhter, teaching 4–6-year-olds
When Parveen began, her class loved free play — but she realised most children spent it repeating the same small games. “They were busy,” she says, “but not really thinking.”
After attending a short EBTD workshop, she tried introducing a simple Plan–Do–Review talk cycle.
Step 1 – Plan: Each child said what they wanted to do. At first, it was just “play” or “draw.” Parveen started modelling:
“I will make a flower with red paper.”
Children began copying her sentence structure.
Step 2 – Do: During play, Parveen walked around and asked:
“Is your flower ready? What will you do next?”
Step 3 – Review: After play, she gathered everyone and asked:
“Show us what you made. Tell us what was easy or hard.”
At first, many children only held up their work silently. Parveen praised any attempt at talk — “Beautiful! You said ‘red flower’!”
After two weeks, children began adding explanations:
“It broke. I made it again.”
“He helped me cut.”
Now, the class looks forward to sharing. “They remind me,” Parveen laughs, “if I forget to do review time.”
- Starting small — one plan each morning.
- Modelling full sentences.
- Waiting quietly after each question.
- Managing noise when all spoke at once.
- Keeping focus during long reviews — she now limits to 5 children per day.
Impact: Children became more persistent in play and started asking each other for help using complete sentences. Parveen says,
“They don’t just play now — they talk and think while they play.”
4️⃣ Summary Box
Routine talk turns ordinary moments into learning opportunities.
When teachers build short, predictable talk routines across the day, children learn to think, remember, and explain — all through conversation.
Small voices grow strongest when talk becomes habit.
