It is vital to have a flexible and healthy daily routine. Particularly for children. We’re going to talk about our routines and how we do it with our three children. We will also share a bit about our morning routine.
My goal for this year was a simple, regular homeschool preschool schedule with my boys. Little did I realize how crucial this would be a few short months later.
*Side Note: I feel I owe myself a major mid-year revamp on my 2020 goals list. We are not only in the middle a pandemic but also our family is now a five-person family AND we have moved to a new house – despite the fact that I had no idea we would be moving during this year when I set my goals. So here we are. As I feel more confident about our mornings I decided to share my own process.
First things first. It’s not all there. Not even close. It’s been important to us all that we have a simple and consistent routine in our house. It is a great thing for the boys, and I love it too.
When we know what to expect, our days are much better.
Today, I wanted to share some thoughts on how we set up routines at home. I also thought about my struggles, and what I found useful. I will then share with you a little bit about our morning routine, in case it’s useful.
How to create a daily routine with kids
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Here are some practical steps that you can take if you want to create simple daily routines at home but are not sure how to begin.
You can write down what you would like to do.
You can use pen and paper. This looked to me like a list of lists.
I made a list with the home chores to be completed, daily tasks for my children, and our favorite meals to plan meals.
It is time to consider all of the things you need or want in your daily life.
Make a list.
Divide your day up into chunks.
Our “chunks”, for us, are largely dictated by naps. Our littlest takes three naps per day. We try to do a lot with our big boys during these times.
You might choose to eat before and after lunch.
After bedtime, or before the children get up in the morning, after dinner, or during the afternoon.
It’s up to you how you want to break it down.
Create a “draft schedule”.
Imagine how your perfect day would go. It is when everything goes smoothly, everyone takes naps as they should and nothing happens out of the ordinary.
What do you imagine your day to be like?
Note down the details.
Talk to your children about the routine, depending on their age.
After I had created my rough schedule, I shared it with my older boys to get their feedback. The boys liked it a lot, and even my oldest had some great ideas for activities we could add.
It will also help your children to take ownership of their day. This will help to get their buy-in and make them understand why you may be doing some things differently.
Make changes to your practice as necessary.
It’s time for you to start.
This is a classic guess, check and revise.
If you are having a great day and something is going right, make sure to acknowledge it and write down what worked well.
When you’re struggling, identify the differences.
Are you looking to change your routine? Are you or someone else more tired than usual, and are you using your phone more often than normal? Someone is feeling sick?
It could be for a variety of reasons that things don’t work.
It is inevitable that not every day will go according to plan, whether it’s for the better or the worse. You can be more helpful if you start to identify the habits that contribute to good and bad days.
Be flexible.
Some days are just not conducive to a regular routine. It’s okay. You can take a day off to recharge or reset.
Spend extra time reading together.
You don’t need to worry about a little more screen time if you can use it to accomplish something or get a break.
You can always return to your old routine.
Consistency is key.
This seems to contradict the idea of flexibility. It doesn’t need to be. When you can, stick to your daily routine.
We keep it written down and in plain sight so that we can remember.
When we need to restart, or get off track, I can pick up right where we left off.
You will find that your day starts to flow more easily if you do this repeatedly.
Stop comparing.
There are a lot of posts on the internet about scheduling. Each one claims to be the best and offer the highest productivity.
It is up to you and your family to decide what will work best for you.
When you find something for your family that works, stop comparing it with others.
What you see on the internet is just a small part of what everyone lives in reality.
Even the most organized and best-prepared mamas can have a bad day. They may or may not broadcast it.
Morning Routine
In the spirit of complete transparency, I will admit that this isn’t something that comes easily to me.
I’ve read a lot of posts on how to schedule your time. You can create block schedules or go with the flow.
While I love routine and predictability I also know it’s important to let that go sometimes in favor of what works on any given day.
Since moving, I have been trying to establish a good rhythm for the boys.
I have chosen to concentrate on one part of the daily routine at a given time. For now, it’s the morning. I have some ideas for the evening and have tried out some of them, but currently our afternoons are more spontaneous than our mornings.
What’s working now for us:
- Breakfast is served downstairs.
- Boys can do this with either me or hubs, depending on the time that the baby woke up. If I am nursing the baby, Daddy will be in charge of breakfast.
- Play free.
- The big boys can play freely after breakfast while the baby is awake, and I am nursing him.
- Get dressed/brush teeth.
- Bible time
- After the baby has gone to sleep, I and the boys have our Bible study. There are several resources that we use. We’re currently learning about the armor of God in Ephesians 6, and the boys love using as a fun learning tool.
- Our The Odyssey and Indescribable devotional are also popular choices.
- Doing group chores
- I’m not sure if we should rotate chores but, for the moment, we all do our part to maintain our home.
- Folding napkins, towels or putting away the laundry are all good examples.
- Morning school work.
- We homeschool light over here. To do this, I play a game with the boys and help the oldest child with his math book or handwriting. Then, I read to the toddler.
- If they want to work more than 20 minutes, I will let them.
- Playing outside or doing an activity in the morning is a good idea.
- Playing with playdough is one option. Other activities include baking, playing outside, or coloring the driveway in chalk.
- Organise your home.
- Lunch and reading aloud.
- During the lunch hour, I read out loud books to my boys. They love it. We look forward to it every day. It’s been more enjoyable than I expected.
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That’s all. Sometimes the littlest wakes up before lunch and joins us, while other times he continues to sleep.
We’re still working on it. It’s working so far. The afternoon routine is next.
We have some ideas but need to practice and refine them.