🪑 Small Routines, Big Impact: Structures that Calm the Chaos

vanessa speigle
Sep 11, 2025
4 min read

Illustrated poster with plants, leaves, and sunshine in the background. Title text reads: “Small Routines, Big Impact: Structures that Calm the Chaos.” Illustration of four students sitting around a table with books and papers. Subheading: “Finnish-Inspired Teaching with Rekla.”

“Equity before excellence.” That phrase from Pasi Sahlberg’s Finnish Lessons 3.0 sums up why Finnish classrooms look and feel so different. Calm is not a luxury........it’s the foundation of learning.

In Finland, well-being is built into the school day:

Frequent breaks: 15 minutes of recess for every 45 minutes of study (Finnish National Agency for Education).
Free hot meals: A daily commitment to health and equity.
Protected joy: Arts, music, and play are treated as core, not extras (Education Finland).

These small, predictable structures reduce stress, increase focus, and remind students that school is a safe place to grow.

But what does this mean for teachers working in Kenya’s CBC classrooms, where class sizes are larger, resources are limited, and pressure is high? It means that small routines, joy and trust woven into daily structure, can make the biggest difference.

🌱 Why Predictable Routines Reduce Chaos

Neuroscience shows that predictable rhythms lower cortisol levels and free working memory for learning. In Finland, breaks are protected in the daily schedule -15 minutes outside for every 45 minutes of study. But let’s be honest: many CBC teachers don’t control the timetable. You can’t just decide to add extra recess.

What you can do is create micro-breaks within your classroom. Even 2–3 minutes of pause and reset make a difference. A simple stretch, a breathing exercise, or letting students stand and talk to a partner helps restore calm. These small resets are teacher-controlled and time-neutral, they don’t disrupt the syllabus.

And if your school allows, step outside occasionally. Finnish pedagogy reminds us that outdoor learning is still learning. A circle in the grass, a math problem solved in the sand, or a science observation walk connects students to the environment while lowering stress. Outdoor pedagogy builds curiosity, calm, and real-world connection, all without special resources.

In both Finland and CBC, the principle is the same: routines, even short ones, are not about control. They are about creating a rhythm of safety and calm that allows competencies like Learning to Learn and Self-Efficacy to grow.

🎉 Routines that Spark Joy

Sahlberg reminds us that joy is essential for motivation, not optional. Finnish students thrive because joy is embedded: less homework, more play, more arts.

In a CBC classroom, joy doesn’t require new resources. It can be:

One-minute rituals — a riddle, a song, or a gratitude share.
Joy jars — students write one highlight of their week to be read aloud.
Student DJs — one learner chooses the start-of-class song.

Joy fuels competencies like Creativity and Collaboration. More importantly, joy restores energy for both teacher and student.

🤝 Routines that Build Trust

Trust is the other hidden ingredient. In Finland, teachers are trusted as professionals: no inspections, no rankings. Every teacher holds a Master’s degree, and their autonomy is respected (Education Finland).

That professional trust trickles down to students, who are given real responsibility and autonomy in learning.

Whether you’re teaching in a CBC classroom in Kenya, a U.S. public school, or a Finnish primary class, the principle is the same: trust grows when students are given small but meaningful responsibilities.

Infographic titled “Routines that Build Trust in the Classroom.” Three illustrated icons with headings: Core Routines (circle agreements), Talking Piece (every voice matters), and Student-Led (shared responsibility). Subheading: “Small, low-resource practices for global classrooms.”

Here are a few low-resource trust-building routines that work globally:

Circle agreements: Co-create 3–5 class commitments instead of posting rules. This works in large classes as well as small groups, because ownership reduces discipline issues everywhere.
Talking piece: Pass an object to slow down discussion and lift quiet voices. Even in big classrooms, this signals that every voice matters.
Student-led routines: Rotate leadership of attendance, warm-ups, or reflections. Giving students responsibility lightens the teacher’s load and builds agency.

For CBC teachers, these routines directly support competencies like Communication and Citizenship. For global educators, they nurture 21st-century skills like collaboration, respect, and student agency.

Trust isn’t cultural “extra credit.” It’s a universal foundation of learning.

🌍 Why Teacher Well-being = Student Well-being

Photograph of a smiling teacher sitting at a table surrounded by students. Large white text overlay reads: “Teacher well-being = student well-being.”

One striking fact: Finnish teachers teach about 600 hours per year, compared to 1,000+ in the U.S. and U.K. (Finnish Lessons 3.0). That extra time is used for planning, collaboration, and reflection, all of which sustain joy and trust.

Kenyan teachers may not have that same structural support. Many teach 40–70 learners per class, with little prep time and few materials. But calm, joy, and trust are still possible when we shift the small things we can control:

Build micro-breaks inside lessons. Even two minutes of standing, stretching, or turning to a partner for a quick thought resets the energy. These breaks cost nothing and don’t require timetable changes.
Use outdoor pedagogy when possible. Take math outside with sticks and stones, or start a science lesson with observations in the schoolyard. Outside space lowers noise, reduces stress, and invites curiosity.
Share responsibility with students. Let learners lead attendance, manage a talking piece, or close the day with one reflection question. This not only reduces your load, but also grows CBC competencies like Communication and Citizenship.
Leverage simple joy rituals. A clap game, a one-word gratitude share, or even humor during transitions can refresh focus without taking extra time.

In CBC classrooms, these small shifts create resilience. Calm, joy, and trust are not “extras.” They are practical strategies that make teaching sustainable, even in crowded classrooms.