Take the Chaos Out of Kindergarten Arrival and Dismissal

Two of the most challenging moments in the kindergarten daily schedule are arrival and dismissal. This is especially true at the beginning of the year, when students are just getting the hang of being at school. In this post, I’m going to share tips to help you take the chaos out of your kindergarten arrival and dismissal routines.

The Challenges of Arrival and Dismissal in Kindergarten

As with many aspects of the school day, there are elements of arrival and dismissal that are particularly challenging for kindergarten students: 

– Transitions: The transitions of arrival and departure can often trigger big feelings for young students. Whether it’s saying goodbye to a parent before walking in the door or trying to find a lost mitten before going home, kindergarteners are prone to big emotions during the transitions at the beginning and end of the day. They often lack the self-regulation skills to cope with these emotions and move forward with the routine.

– Multi-Step Directions: As students arrive in the classroom and as they're getting ready to leave, they often have several things they need to take care of. Remembering these steps of the arrival and dismissal procedures can be challenging for young kindergarten students!

– Unstructured Time: Kindergarten students are still learning how to make good choices independently during less-structured situations. When the teacher’s attention is being pulled in many different directions during arrival and dismissal, this is often when kindergarteners struggle to stay on task independently.

Even with these challenges, it’s possible to create smooth transitions for the beginning and end of the day in kindergarten. I’m going to share five tips to help you take the chaos out of arrival and dismissal in your kindergarten classroom.

5 Tips for Smooth Classroom Arrival and Dismissal 

1. Encourage Independence

The most important thing to remember about your arrival and dismissal routines is that students should be able to move through these routines without you. The key to this becoming a reality is to set the students up for success. This independence doesn’t magically happen!

Keep your arrival and dismissal procedures simple, so students will be more likely to complete the steps independently. Include only the most essential tasks at the beginning and end of the day, so students can remember the steps more easily.

2. Have Consistent Expectations

Consistency is one of the keys to effective classroom management, which includes your arrival and dismissal procedures. Students are more likely to exhibit expected behavior when they know exactly what is expected of them. On the other hand, when students can slip out the door at the end of the day without clearing out their cubbies, they are less likely to take care of their end-of-day responsibilities in the future. 

You can consistently reinforce expectations by recognizing students who are taking care of their responsibilities during arrival and dismissal. You could even use your whole-class reward system to reinforce these expectations. This could also be something you watch for and include in glow and grow notes.

3. Provide Visual Reminders

One way that you can maintain consistency during your daily routine is to use visual supports. Visuals are a great way to remind students of the steps without having to add your voice to the classroom noise level. The more non-verbal directions we can provide young students, the better! 

When students ask what they should do next, you can point to the visual that has all of the steps listed. This makes it more likely that students will independently look for the visual the next time they have a question about the routine.

4. Add Individual Supports as Needed

You will likely have individual students who need a little bit more support with arrival and departure procedures. Some students have trouble with transitions while other students have big feelings during arrival time. There are also students who have different steps in their arrival and departure routines. 

This is when an individualized visual can be very helpful! Students can turn over or remove the pieces of the daily routine as they complete each step, which encourages independence. Having this element of control over their daily routine procedures can make transition times easier for young students.

5. Stick to the Routine

My final tip for a smooth arrival and departure is to stick to the routine! The more opportunities students have with the procedures, the more independent they will become. If you truly feel that your morning and afternoon procedures are developmentally appropriate and you have supports in place, don’t give in to the temptation to adjust the routine each time it goes a little bit sideways.

Instead, review the expectations with your students and keep the visual supports in place. The consistency will lead to smooth procedures that students can complete independently. It might take time, but it will be worth it! A calm morning routine can set a positive tone for the entire day. A smooth departure will help students leave the classroom in a more regulated state, which will help them look forward to coming back tomorrow.

Printable Classroom Routine Visuals

I have put together a resource that will help you start and end your school day with effective procedures. These morning and afternoon routine visuals will help to keep students on task so you don’t have to answer the same questions at arrival and dismissal. These picture cards are the perfect way to support students during less-structured times when students need to be more independent.

If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in this resource, you can find it in the Teaching Exceptional Kinders shop or in my TPT store.

Save These Tips for Arrival and Dismissal in Kindergarten

Be sure to save this post if you’d like to come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite classroom management board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these tips and resources when you’re planning a smooth daily routine in kindergarten.