07/25/2026
Planning our work since Preschool: From a Pretend Phone Call to a Lifetime of Purpose 📞🌱
One of the most powerful routines at JOY is Plan–Do–Review.
Before children begin their work, Ms. Aittana “calls” them on a pretend phone.
📞 “Hello! What are you doing today?”
“I’m going to the block area.”
“What are you going to do there?”
It may look like a simple, playful conversation—but it is so much more.
Instead of wandering from activity to activity, children learn to begin with intention. They imagine, organize their thoughts, communicate a plan, carry it out, solve problems, adapt when things don’t go as expected, and finally reflect on what they learned.
This is how we intentionally develop executive functioning: planning, self-regulation, flexible thinking, working memory, decision-making, and reflection.
As children grow at JOY, so does Plan–Do–Review.
In Preschool, children learn to plan their play.
In Elementary, they learn to plan their learning. They understand what they are learning, why they are learning it, set goals, monitor their progress throughout the year, and reflect on their growth.
Because our goal isn’t simply to help children complete today’s work.
Our goal is to help them become adults who live with purpose—people who know how to set goals, make a plan, follow through, reflect, and grow.
It all begins with one simple question:
“What are you going to do today?” 💛
