Student: And you get the waiting list.

Cindy Barron: You could write your name on the waiting list. That’s a great strategy. We are going to get started for Choice Time.

Cindy Barron: At the beginning of Choice Time, the children have to choose the centers that they’re going to. In order to make the transition work, we start a routine right from the beginning of the year. Each child in the room has their own name with a piece of the Velcro on the back of it, and they use those names to sign up for their centers.

Cindy Barron: So we need to find out whose turn is it to call our names, and today it is going to be Paula.

Cindy Barron: At the start of Choice Time each day, one child is the caller.

Cindy Barron: And you get to sit in my chair. I will give you this. Right, big strong voice.

Paula: Emma.

Cindy Barron: Once your name is called, you get to go get your name with your Velcro off a board and sign up for a center in the classroom. We have signs in each of our centers for Choice Time, and on those signs there’s a picture of the center, there’s a number that says how many children can play in that center, and there is also the same number of pieces of Velcro. So if four children can play, there’s the picture, the number “4,” and four pieces of Velcro.

Cindy Barron: Three- and 4-year-olds, they do not like to wait. It’s hard for them to wait.

Paula: Me and Kennedy want to go over there.

Cindy Barron: Kennedy, do you want to play here as well?

Kennedy: Mm-hmm.

Cindy Barron: All right. So let’s go get a timer.

Cindy Barron: We have a timer. If a center is full, they might come to me and say, “Mrs. Barron, can you set the timer for me?” Having that visual of the red helps them see as the time gets less and less, they know they’re closer to going to that center, and it helps them build that self-regulation.

Student: It waits until it’s your turn.

Cindy Barron: They’re less likely to burst into tears because they know their turn is coming.

Student: When it goes “Beep-beep,” it means that you can play there.

Cindy Barron: Another support we use we call “waiting list.” I typically use waiting list when something is new and exciting. So for instance, when our hair salon and barber shop is brand new in the dramatic play area, there’s definitely going to be a wait list there.

Cindy Barron: You’re going to write your name there? That’s perfect. That sounds like a good plan. And then we’ll set the timer.

Cindy Barron: If they get to the center, they see all those pieces of Velcro are full, they can add their name to the wait list.

Cindy Barron: Arthur and Emma and Farhan. There’s spaces here and you’re next on our wait list. Come on over.

Cindy Barron: And that way they know they have a turn coming. And when they know that’s coming, it’s easier for them to say, “OK, I’ll go play in another center because I know I am going to get a turn.”

Cindy Barron: All right. Let’s find another place to play until there’s a spot.

Cindy Barron: By having these systems in place, it helps the children be able to wait. It’s all self-regulation.

Charter Oak International Academy