As early childhood educators we provide a lot of direction to the children in our care over the course of an activity, session, and day.

Good instructions need to be clear, especially for young children, and learners need processing time, which means we need to pause and wait. Phrasing instructions as statements and not requests indicates your expectation that these instructions will be followed. For example, you can request a learner join in on a group activity by stating, "Time to join the group for music, Ali" rather than "Would you like to join your group now?"

Clear directions:

• start by ensuring you have the child/ren’s attention
• are short, specific statements
• include a verb so the child knows the action they must do
• tell learners what they are expected to do
• tell learners how they are expected to do it
• are followed by a 5-10 second pause by you, the educator.

By pausing you provide:

• learners with the time needed to process the direction
• yourself with an opportunity to check for attention and understanding.

Choose a verbal and/or non-verbal cue to gain attention e.g., “1, 2, 3… listen to me”. Choose one that matches your style – it can become one of your teaching ‘signatures’.

To prepare appropriate adjustments to the instructions you give, it is important that you understand the communication strengths and needs of your learners. Particularly relevant is knowing which learners are visual learners or have learning needs that include:

• auditory processing and planning
• organising
• task initiation.

When giving directions, you should refer to visual supports. These will support learners’ processing and task initiation.

Longer instructions

Instructions provide learners with the basic information needed to complete the required task: who? — what? — when? — where? — why? — how? The complexity of your instructions will depend on the development of the child or children you’re working with.

Consider if longer instructions should be displayed visually (such as using pictures/images) - verbal instructions disappear as soon as they are given, and lengthy verbal instructions are difficult for young children to remember or follow. Simple visual instructions mean your learners are more likely to follow them in order.

When giving instructions, do not give all of the information at once. Chunk your instructions into smaller segments that are specific and short.

Prepare the following supports before they’re needed, and have them in place and within easy reach for reference:

• rules (e.g. “We walk inside” – tells the children what to do, rather than “Don’t run” that tells them what not to do)
• schedules (e.g. daily calendar of activities – mat time, blocks, puzzles, snack, outdoors)
• routines (e.g. First-Then – “First we wash hands, then we have our snack”)
• task sequences (e.g. sequence of washing hands routine before lunch – Turn on tap, squirt on soap, rub and scrub)
• organisational checklists (e.g. packing your bag ready to go home)

Communication style

Be aware of your own communication style and the capacity of your learners to understand. Instructions should be short, specific, and include a verb. You may need to write out and/or rehearse optimal ways to deliver clear short instructions. Reflect and monitor if these instructions are working.

When giving instructions, use non-verbal cues in a consistent way. Give directions:

• from the same place (if a group instruction)
• using the same focused facial expression
• using the same gesture (e.g. to indicate ‘come here’ or ‘sit down’)

It works better if:

• you move close and get down to the child’s level for individual instructions
• you refer to visual materials
• use the same verbal and non-verbal cue
• you are calm and consistent

It doesn’t work if:

• instructions are too long - chunk down for easier processing
• you give instructions without first gaining learner attention
• you continue talking while waiting and scanning for learner attention
• you do not reference visual materials
• the instructions don’t match the child’s age or developmental stage.