The Power of Predictable Routines

Routines are a key part of school but why are they so important?

Welcome to SEMH Education. Every week, I share strategies, stories, and expertise I’ve gained from working with children and professionals around social, emotional, and mental health in education.

This week I’ll be unpicking the power of predictable routines within educational settings, outlining the science behind them and providing some examples for you to use in your settings.

📆What are Predictable Routines?

Most people love routines. I have a breakfast, exercise, job, and before-bed routine. Routines feel safe; you know what to expect. The more you participate in a certain routine, the more familiar you become with it and the easier that aspect of the day becomes. With some routines, it gets to a point where it becomes automatic.

For children with neurodiverse needs, routines are extremely important. They play a significant role in reducing anxiety and fostering a sense of safety.

Reducing anxiety and increasing a sense of safety provide the foundation for academic success. If children feel safe and secure every day, they’re more likely to be learning-ready and engage in the academic content for the day.

Having consistent routines throughout the day enables children to settle back into the day too. For example, if there’s been an incident in the morning and a child is regulated by lunchtime, they’ll know the routine after lunch and be able to settle back into the afternoon.

🔬The Science Behind Routines

Don’t just listen to me though! These are some extracts from journals and other sites about the science of routines.

Establishing consistent routines in educational settings has been shown to significantly benefit all students, including those with neurodiverse needs. Research indicates that routines can enhance cognitive development, self-regulation, social-emotional skills, and academic performance. Link

For neurodiverse students, particularly those who may struggle with executive function skills, routines provide a sense of predictability and structure that can significantly reduce anxiety and improve focus. Link

Incorporating visual schedules and work systems has been effective in supporting students on the autism spectrum to stay on-task and work independently in mainstream classrooms. Link

Furthermore, routines can help reduce the cognitive load on students' working memory, allowing them to focus more effectively on learning tasks. Link

📑Practical Examples

Now you’ve heard the reasoning behind it, let’s have a look at some actual routines you can implement into your educational setting. Of course, some of these may have to be adapted to suit your class or setting. Please comment any extra examples you have as well!

Morning Check-Ins:

• Daily tasks - A Slide with a mixture of easy and fun daily tasks can be a great way to start the day

• Greetings - Choose a handshake or wave to greet each child with.

• Reading - Using a website such as Pobble365 is a great way to get the children’s brains whirring in the morning.

• Feeling wall - Have each child check-in with where their emotions are each morning.

• Morning Jobs - Provide some children with morning jobs - handing out books, and snacks, cleaning the whiteboard, updating the calendar etc.

Visual Timetable:

• Simple visual timetable for the days lessons.

• More in-depth visual timetable for each tasks within each lesson

• In smaller settings - allow the children to choose the order of the lessons for the day.

• Take 5 minutes every morning to go through the timetable with the class.

Classroom Routines:

• What does your transition between lessons look like? Could you create a routine for this using a song?

• Routines for break and lunchtime - What does every child have to do before leaving their desk to line up? How do they line up? You can do the same for returning to the classroom after break and lunchtimes too!

• Short mindfulness activity before starting guided reading? Sounds silly but getting the class to take 5-10 deep breaths before reading can really refocus them! Try it!

• Gratitude sharing, end the day by asking 2-3 children to share what they have been thankful for today. This can be something small such as another child holding the door open for them.

• Regulation breaks, make time during the day when you can come back together as a class and refocus for the next part of the day. These 5-10 minute breaks can ensure the rest of the day goes smoothly. Sometimes it’s better to stop and take a breath rather than plow on!

🧒Personalised Routines

All of the above routines and more can be tailored to suit the individual needs of a child. If you have a child in your setting that is really unsettled at the moment. Take some time to think about their interest and level of special educational need and then implement some routines throughout the day. You’ll be surprised at how much of an impact these can make.

It’s worth noting here that for personalised routines you should NOT go from 0 routines to 5+ routines. Introduce each routine individually and only introduce the next routine when they’ve mastered the previous one.

For example, you may want to introduce the routine of a personalised feelings board for a specific child. Model how this works with the child and guide them through the process over 1 or 2 weeks. Once they are able to do this routine independently, introduce the next routine which may be giving them a morning job.

🎯 Conclusion

Predictable routines are a powerful tool in creating a stable and supportive environment for all children, particularly those with neurodiverse needs. By fostering a sense of safety, reducing anxiety, and providing structure, routines help students become more learning-ready and engaged. Whether through morning check-ins, visual timetables, or personalised strategies, implementing consistent routines can significantly improve focus, self-regulation, and academic success. The key is to introduce routines gradually and adapt them to individual needs, ensuring they remain effective and sustainable. Ultimately, a well-structured routine can transform the classroom into a place where every child feels secure, valued, and ready to learn.

Let me know which routine you’re going to try and implement next! Or tell me which routines you’ve already got in place!