Some children need to have a set routine, others children work well independently under supervision. A good example of this is the Montessori schools. Children have a list of tasks to complete that day, but the child chooses the order in which they complete the tasks. At public schools the teacher sets the schedule and children complete tasks at certain times and in certain orders. I am a big believer in Gesell's developmental milestones.
Developmental milestones are a list of the milestone norms of certain ages.
These are a great help when you are trying to plan activities for children. As a teacher you need to be able to plan activities that are developmentally appropriate for the children in your class. This means you need to know what your students should be able to do for their age. I also tend to follow Piaget's stages, sensorimotor and preoperational. According to Piaget, the sensorimotor period is from birth to two years.