Save My Work: Classroom Strategies that Support Regulation

“It is time to clean up.”  For some children these words evoke excitement – a signal that it is time to move onto something new. For other children, stopping something they are enjoying or engrossed in can be difficult.  Part of this difficulty is related to a child’s ability to self-regulate, but for many children, especially those with attachment issues, letting go of work and play experiences can be wrenching. And yet, we must move on to lunch, to recess, to the next activity.

While certainly there are some things that need to be cleaned up to make room on tables or reset a messy project, having a way to save children’s work helps them to let go, move on, knowing that they can return to an activity later in the day or the following day. This predictability, knowing that their efforts were worth it and the chance to return is calming for many children.

These “save my work” strategies can even be used when a child goes to the bathroom and wants to come back to their play, with the assurance that it will still be there.

We try to remember to save our work on our computers, find places to put projects in process at home, and recognize the comfort of returning to something we found enjoyable.  Let’s find ways to extend this same experience to children!

Here are some examples of easy to implement strategies to help children save their work and return to it.

Photo save blocks can help children feel that their work is protected at transitions

In some classrooms saving work becomes part of the learning experience. For older children this teacher created a “Save My Work” book.

The directions in the box are:

1. Print my name on the cover.
2. Make something first.
3. Draw a picture of what I made.
4. Put the book in my white box (a box each child has, but could go in a folder or communal basket).
5. Show to my teacher when on the last page.