5 Important Reasons to Make Your Schedule Predictable

Do you have a schedule or agenda posted in your classroom? You should! Here are 5 important reasons to make your schedule predictable.

Photo of class schedule with text, "5 Reasons to Make Your Classroom Schedule Predictable."

1. Promote Feelings of Security

When your students know what to expect at every turn of the school day, they feel safe and secure. Students thrive on routine and predictability and having a visible display sets everyone at ease.

Photo of kids giving thumbs up and text, "Promote feelings of security."

2. Students Are More Engaged

When students know what is coming next, they're prepared for a shift between subjects and are more engaged and able to take responsibility for the materials they'll need to get started quickly.

Photo of kids working with text, "Higher engagement."

3. Expectations Are Clearer

When you post your daily classroom schedule, your students are more aware of what is expected of them at any given point in the day.

When my students see Morning Work on the agenda, they know to work on their growth mindset activities and get their whiteboard ready for our math warm-up, which always comes next. When they see that it is literacy, they have their books out before I even give instructions.

Kids walking in hallway with text, "Make expectations clear."

4. Behavior Problems Are Reduced

When students know what is going to happen ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour from now, they are less likely to act out and cause problems because of the anxiety that uncertainty can create.

Kids misbehaving with text, "Reduce behavior problems."

5. Scaffolds For Students With Exceptionalities

Having a daily schedule or agenda posted is especially vital for your students with exceptionalities. Predictable routines reduce anxiety and uncertainty for them and set them up for success rather than failure.

When my student with Autism enters the classroom, the first thing he does is check our agenda, and he refers to it many times throughout the school day. Having this visual aid posted puts him at ease and reduces his stimming.

Photo of pencils with one red pencil with text, "Support for students with exceptionalities."

Posting your daily schedule can be as simple as writing the day's subject or activities on the board. I have chosen to make a reusable set of cards that I print, laminate, attach with self-adhesive magnets and use year after year.

I've made these available with and without the images in an editable format in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. You can grab them for your classroom by clicking the image or right here.

You might also be interested in the ideas I've shared in this blog post: