Routines That Build Confidence

September 28, 2026

For young children, confidence grows through familiarity, connection, and the comfort of knowing what comes next. In Ashley Hall’s Early School, thoughtful routines and predictable rhythms help children move through their days with growing independence, while strong home-school connections create a sense of belonging from the very beginning.

Early School Faculty Member Anne Riley offers a look inside her classroom at intentional practices that support children as they settle into a new school year, from visual schedules and familiar transitions to meaningful connections that help each child feel known, secure, and ready to explore.

Routines that Build Confidence

By Anne Riley, Early School Faculty Member

The beginning of the school year is an exciting time! New classrooms, new teachers, new friends, and for our youngest children - their first time at Ashley Hall. As educators, we work hard to help our friends settle into the classroom by developing transitions, routines, and expectations. As our children learn the flow of our days and understand that they are part of our classroom community, they become confident members of Ashley Hall! 

In each Early School classroom, you will find a visual schedule. These might be pictures of children and real materials from school, or they might be child-drawn representations of the different parts of our day. It might also be a daily schedule, or a “week at a glance” style in classrooms with older students. In my Pre-Primary classroom, we use photos of our friends from specific parts of our day - such as playing outside, eating lunch, or washing our hands first thing in the morning. We also include our Connection classes, so it could be a picture of Ms. Robbins in the Atelier or Ms. Hensley in the library. We change the pictures on our visual schedule each day depending on our plan for the day! Through our visual schedule, children learn the flow of our day and talk about what is happening next or what has happened in the past. This predictability builds a sense of security and independence, while helping young children feel confident, manage transitions, and self-regulate throughout the day. Transitions during the school day are easier when the children know what to expect. We stick to the same routines, such as singing the same song to gather as a whole group on the rug. When children know the plan for the day, it alleviates stress and builds their confidence in knowing our routines. 

At home, families can support this continuity by keeping routines predictable around daily tasks and events, giving children time to try things independently. Using consistent language and expectations, and talking about transitions with confidence, can also help: “You know how we do this. Let’s think about what comes next.”

In the Early School, the home-school connection is very important to all of us. For new families, we start with a New Family Visit where we get to know each other in a comfortable environment for the child. We continue to strengthen these connections by including family pictures in our classrooms. The children truly enjoy telling their friends about their families! Sharing about our pets is always a favorite part. Displaying the pictures in our classroom also creates meaningful opportunities for connection and language development as children proudly share stories about their loved ones, pictured below. 

The beginning of the school year is a magical time filled with new experiences, new friends, and growing confidence! Thank you for sharing your children with us!