Open Snack and Adultism in Early Childhood

This case study took place in a preschool classroom with children aged three to four years old. Snack time was traditionally organized as a fixed, adult-directed routine, based on the assumption that young children require external regulation to manage hunger, transitions, and emotional responses.

Such routines are often designed with care and protection in mind. However, through sustained observation and professional reflection, our teaching team began questioning whether this structure genuinely supported children’s developing self-regulation or whether it primarily reflected adult-centered control over time, bodies, and routines.

From a pedagogical leadership perspective, this moment became an opportunity to examine how seemingly neutral daily practices communicate values, assumptions, and power dynamics within the learning environment.

Pedagogical Question

How do everyday routines reflect adult assumptions about children’s competence, autonomy, and capacity for self-regulation?

Decision-Making Process

Ongoing observation revealed that children were often deeply engaged in play when interrupted by the scheduled snack time.

These interruptions prompted collective reflection on our role as adults: were we supporting children in developing awareness of their own bodily cues, or were we replacing that awareness with external control?

Through dialogue among co-teachers, we identified a shared adult concern—the belief that children might not yet be able to interrupt their play to listen to their bodies. We feared that increased autonomy could result in disorganization or negatively impact self-regulation, particularly given that young children often experience hunger or fatigue without fully developed language to name these sensations.

This process made visible how protective intentions, when left unexamined, can unintentionally extend children’s dependency beyond what is developmentally necessary, limiting opportunities for agency and self-regulated decision-making.

Pedagogical Decision

Guided by observation, collaborative dialogue, and ethical reflection, we chose to shift from a fixed snack schedule to an open snack routine.

Within a clearly defined time window, children were invited to decide when to pause their play and have their snack. Educators offered reminders rather than directives, maintaining clear boundaries related to safety and care while intentionally redistributing control over time and bodily needs.

This decision did not remove structure. Instead, it reframed boundaries as shared responsibilities, grounded in trust, respect, and relational accountability.

Observed Outcomes

Following the implementation of the open snack routine, several changes became evident:

Transitions between play and snack became smoother, with children intentionally pausing their exploration and verbalizing their needs.
Children demonstrated increased awareness of bodily cues, naming hunger and satiety using their own language.
Children independently adjusted food quantities, learning how much to eat in the morning to sustain themselves until the afternoon snack.
Children made intentional decisions about what to eat immediately and what to save for later, demonstrating emerging planning, executive function, and self-regulation skills.

Together, these outcomes reflect capacities that develop through practice, trust, and relational support, rather than through adult control alone.

Reflection Through the Lens of Adultism

This experience highlighted how easily everyday routines can reinforce adult dominance when control replaces trust. Viewed through the lens of adultism—discrimination based on age that manifests through the overextension of adult authority—fixed routines risk limiting children’s agency under the guise of care.

Rather than eliminating boundaries, the open snack routine repositioned them as pedagogical and relational. Trust became an intentional educational act, and observation replaced preemptive control.

Autonomy is built in everyday moments.

Leadership and Transferability

This case study invites educators and school leaders to examine daily routines as pedagogical choices rather than logistical necessities. Decisions related to time, food, and transitions reveal underlying beliefs about children’s competence, rights, and capacity to participate meaningfully in their own learning.

When autonomy is intentionally practiced within clear and ethical boundaries, children demonstrate competencies that are often underestimated. This reflection extends beyond snack time, offering transferable insights into curriculum design, school culture, and pedagogical leadership grounded in respect.

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