Being on time, every time, is something that was drummed into me at a very early age. As a child I didn’t really understand why the grown-ups thought punctuality was so important. As an adult, I totally get it.
If we learn and value this skill at a young age, it becomes instinctive. Here we take a look at the benefits of punctuality in daily life, the importance of learning to be punctual when we’re young, what we do in nursery to encourage the children to be on time, and what you can do at home to support the development of this important life skill.
The benefits of punctuality in daily life
Punctuality is an important life skill which can bring huge benefits to our personal and professional lives. The psychology website, Echoes of Mind, describes punctuality as “more than a mere adherence to time; it is a reflection of one’s respect for others, dedication to commitments, and a clear indication of how one manages life’s most finite resource: time.
A punctual person tends to be viewed as reliable, trustworthy and respectful as they value others’ time and schedules as much as their own. They are also perceived to be organised and productive, with good time management skills and high levels of self-discipline.
The importance of learning to be punctual when we’re young
Like so many of the skills and behaviours we use in adulthood, learning to be punctual at an early age will serve your child well throughout their life.
At nursery, it’s important for all children to arrive and depart on time. Regardless of your child’s pre-agreed starting time, not being on time can have implications for all our children: if your child arrives late, this can be disruptive and unsettling for them, their fellow students and nursery staff who may need to repeat plans for the day. Alternatively, if you arrive too early with your child, this can create risk for other children. Why? Because our staff-to-child ratios are determined in advance for each part of the day, based on each child’s individual start time. If you arrive early – and perhaps others do the same – we may not have an adequate number of childcare staff to take care of all the children safely.
Once your child moves onto primary school – which has one set daily start time – teachers will expect all children to be on time, every time. If they’re late, especially if this happens repeatedly, your child will miss out on vital learning opportunities as well as social time in the playground with their friends before school. The feeling of being late may also unsettle your child and make them feel somehow different and excluded.
Skip forward a couple of decades or so to when your child reaches working age. If your young adult is late for an interview, they’re unlikely to get the job. If they are successful but consistently turn up late, that position is not likely to last very long. It’s a competitive market out there, and employers will show loyalty to those dependable people who show them respect by turning up on time.
What we do at nursery to encourage punctuality
While your children are with us, we teach them about the importance of being where they should be at the correct time, with just the right level of instruction and support from their childcare worker. As nursery pupils are too young to tell the time, we give them broader explanations of what is expected. For example, at the beginning of the day we may refer to activities we’ll be taking part in ‘later this morning’. We may also set out our plans for ‘this afternoon’, ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next week’ so the children begin to learn about different concepts of time.
Lunch break is always at 12 noon. Our young people are taught to wash their hands and line up ready to go into lunch hall; this soon become part of their daily routine. They also recognise that a mention of ‘home time’ means they are expected to get their coats and bags ready and to sit and wait quietly.
What you can do at home
Practising punctuality at home is a great way to reinforce what we are teaching your child at nursery. You can do this by:
- Establishing a regular bedtime routine so your child gets a good night’s sleep and wakes up naturally at the same time each morning.
- Model the behaviour you’re looking for. If you lead by example, your child is likely to follow. So, on a morning, if you have plenty of time to prepare for nursery and leave adequate time for travel and drop-offs, your child will learn what is expected. This will also lead to a less stressful start to everyone’s day.
- You could also do what a former parent did with her own children: highlight an example of running late for an event or activity and see how this makes your child feel. You could role play waking up late, rushing to get ready on time, and arriving late at your destination. The experience is likely to be an uncomfortable one which your child will be keen to avoid in the future.
Get in touch if we can help
We appreciate it can be a struggle to be punctual, especially if you have more than one child to take care of. If you’re struggling to motivate your children to wake up and get ready for nursery on time, please do get in touch. We have some tried and tested tips and tricks that can help take the stress out of the morning – and make sure we all start the day as we mean to go on.