Where are all my full day kindergarten teachers?! It is crazy to me to think that these kiddos are in school for the same amount of time as a third grader or a fifth grader or an eighth grader! I don’t know about you but when I went to kindergarten, we had a half day program, we had nap time and most of the day we colored and played. A kindergarten schedule has changed so much!
Throughout the year, my kindergarten schedule changes slightly. Here are two kindergarten sample schedules for the beginning of the year and end of the year.
Kindergarten Daily Schedule (Beginning of the Year)
Beginning of the year kindergarteners are VERY different from end of the year kindergarteners. I like to think of incoming kindergarteners as preschool students because essentially that’s what they are. They just came from preschool (many of them).
The one major difference between my kindergarten schedule int he beginning of the year and the end of the year is nap (or rest) time.
Beginning of the Year Schedule
8:00 – 8:30 Morning Circle
8:30 – 9:10 Literacy Centers (Daily 5)
9:10 – 9:45 Language Arts
9:45 – 10:20 Snack and Recess (We go out 15 minutes before the rest of the school)
10:20 – 10:45 Writing
10:45 – 11:15 Spanish
11:15 – 11:45 Math (We use Guided Math)
11:45 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 1:00 Nap or Rest Time
1:00 – 1:30 Specialty (P.E., Music, Art)
1:30 – 2:00 Science or Social Studies (I alternate by unit. I’ll do one unit of science and then focus on one unit of social studies.)
2:00 – 2:30 Free Play
Notice, we typically spend about 30 minutes focusing on one subject. Kindergarteners are little learners, they can only focus for so long before they get bored, tired, disengaged. That is something you need to think about when creating your own kindergarten schedule.
Read about setting up your classroom here: 7 Tips for Your Classroom Set Up
Kindergarten Daily Schedule (End of the Year)
Toward the middle or later in the year, I have found that kindergarten students develop a stamina where they are able to push through their day without needing a built in rest time. From the middle of the year on, I take nap (rest) time out so we’re able to focus on more subjects.
Middle/End of the Year Schedule
8:00 – 8:30 Morning Circle
8:30 – 9:10 Literacy Centers (Daily 5)
9:10 – 9:45 Language Arts
9:45 – 10:20 Snack and Recess (We go out 15 minutes before the rest of the school)
10:20 – 10:45 Writing
10:45 – 11:15 Spanish
11:15 – 11:45 Math
11:45 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 1:00 Social Studies
1:00 – 1:30 Specialty (P.E., Music, Art)
1:30 – 2:00 Science
2:00 – 2:30 Free Play
Not much has changed besides nap time going away to be able to do science AND social studies.
Read about my 10 Favorite Activities in Our Kindergarten Year
Kindergarten Weekly Schedule
Above is a sample daily kindergarten schedule. Of course, this doesn’t look exactly the same every day. For example, we have different specialties on different days. We also have a half day during the week (ours is Monday). We don’t do social studies or science every day. Also, we teach religion because we’re a Catholic School.
Every school is different and this will have a lot to do with how you set up your schedule. Here is an example of a kindergarten weekly schedule.
Kindergarten Visual Schedule
Once you figure out your schedule, it is crucial you have it in visual form somewhere for the kids to reference and for you to reference! Posting a visual schedule helps with time management, staying on track and behavior management. When students can see what they’re doing, what they will be doing next and how long they need to focus until their next break, I believe they have better behavior because they know what to expect!
Ways to create your visual schedule:
- Magnet Schedule Cards
- Velcro Schedule Cards
- Write it on your board
- On an Anchor Chart
- In a Pocket Chart
Full Day Kindergarten Schedule
Kindergarten is such a different world compared to other grades. With these little ones, it can be tricky to set up your schedule. We have so much to do in what feels like so little time. It takes a while to figure out a schedule that works for you and your students. (I tweaked mine every year for 5 years.)
My biggest advice: Try things out. If they don’t work, try something else!
How do you set up your kindergarten schedule? What all do you have to include?
