First, then

In early childhood education an important tool in our toolkit is the 'first, then' approach to support students as they engage with daily activities.

This method works well for guiding multi-step tasks and to invite participation in classroom routines.

For example, if the goal is to play outside in the snow you might give an instruction to get dressed by adding: "First snow pants, then boots."

A school day is divided into time blocks with dedicated activities assigned to each block. Letting students know the daily schedule helps build their sense of time which strengthens planning and organization skills. For example, if a student asks "When is recess?" I try not to respond with a vague "soon" or "later", but instead I might say "We have library first, then recess."

Clear First, then prompts can be levelled to acknowledge individual student experience with the activity. For example, a five-year-old in their senior year of kindergarten might only need a broader direction of: "First get dressed, then get the sleds." However, the three-year-old, who was only a toddler last winter and who is being asked for possibly the first time to independently dress themselves for the snow, will probably benefit from a more introductory level of "First snow pants, then boots." guidance.

When communicating with young children I like to visualize how the interactions contribute to the structure of neural pathways. Repeated experiences build stronger pathways while varied experiences promote growth and the branching of new pathways.

It is important to me that I understand I am also learning through these interactions. In the classroom environment I contribute my experience and skills as an early childhood educator. Each child also brings their expertise in what it means to be them: they are the expert of their own personal way of experiencing the world. It is our interactions that shape the progress in each day. It is with this awareness that I use levelled first, then prompts. I am always on the lookout for moments to offer the next level challenge by giving higher level/broader prompts. It is also important to notice when a student might be overwhelmed or feeling dysregulated so that I can bring the first, then prompts gently down to a more familiar and comforting level that does not contribute to the cognitive overload they are experiencing in that moment.

Using a first, then prompt can feel similar to a direct one-step instruction, so you may wonder, "Why bother with the extra steps?" Afterall, if your goal is to ensure the student hears a fact or follows an expectation you may wonder why direct isn't better.

The thing is, kindergarten is not meant to be a no-questions asked, one-way, paved road lined with mandatory stops at info. dumping stations. Offering first, then prompts provides the students opportunities to engage with the process. Some first, then prompts can be invitations to participate in the decision process: "Do you want to write first, then draw?" Another option is my favourite: The "I wonder ... " engagement invitation: "I wonder what will happen if I do this first, then I do that."

If you add the first, then prompt to your kindergarten toolkit be prepared to scale it up or down, or to widen or narrow the scope, depending upon the situation. Use it to strengthen those neuro pathways and support the growth of executive function skills such as decision making, planning, and organizing. The goal is develop competence with known material while fostering the confidence to be curious about engaging with new material and new situations.

I also see the first, then approach used to try to redirect a student from engaging in their preferred activity and to direct the student to a teacher led activity or classroom expectation. For example, if the class is asked to participate in a lesson, but a student wants to go play lego then a staff member might say "lesson first, then lego.'

I think this is a helpful technique if the student just needs information about the order, the specific sequence, of the day's activities. However, it has the potential to escalate into a power struggle between student and staff if the student experiences the situation as a conflict and feels their only options are 'comply or defy'. If you find yourself waving laminated pictures of "crisscross applesauce" at a student who is pulling your arm trying to drag you to the lego bin, the first, then tool is unlikely to be a good choice in that moment.

I have also seen the first, then option used as a motivational tool, ie. do something unpleasant, get a reward. I am uncomfortable with this option as it has the potential for building a rewards driven view of the world with a quid pro quo approach to social interactions, possibly creating manipulators or the manipulated. A heavy statement - I know, but, think about it. For example, think of the practice of those well intentioned lunchbox inspectors who wander the classroom giving the direction to "First eat healthy, then eat treat." When four year olds are taught that the dessert is the reward of the meal they are set on a path towards an unhealthy relationships with food: A lifetime of negotiating with themselves if they ate enough carrots to binge on ice-cream, or mentally beating themselves up for 'giving in' to cravings instead of being 'strong'. Another example might be the time you heard a young student say "If you do this, then I will be your friend." You can see they have been internally processing a rewards based use of the first, then tool and are trying it out on their peers using themself as the reward.

Sometimes the first, then tool gets paired with an OR ELSE threat. Educators may not like to think of it as a threat, but if the "OR ELSE" is a negative "consequence," ie. punishment, determined by and enforced by an adult, then we need to acknowledge it for what it is. An educator may hide the threat under a "make good choices" mantra, but the implication is obvious - comply or be punished. Note: I am not talking about adding information to a first, then instruction such as "First snow pants, then boots, or Else your boots may get stuck inside the snow pants." I am referring to a "First write, then Lego, or ELSE no recess." variation. Using first, then language with this type of an "OR ELSE" attached negates attempts to support the growth of healthy self-regulation skills,

The first, then tool should be used with patience, kindness, an understanding of child development with a consideration of the executive function skills the student can access in that moment.