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Interested in building a daily routine for your children but don’t know where to begin? A few of our contributors have compiled the benefits and drawbacks of a daily routine for younger and older children
with sample schedules for each group. Check it out!
Building Routines for Younger Children-Natasha Gay
The best advice a mom gave me while I was pregnant was to try to establish as much routine and schedule with my child as possible. I didn’t know then how important it would be to their development and our sanity. Now be clear, we are all doing this mommy thing different and learning on the job.
But for me maintaining a routine has worked wonders for my now toddler.
Of course, with all things baby and toddler, there are benefits and drawbacks. The biggest surprise has been how much information children soak up from simple things such as daily tasks. One benefit of having a routine is that it allows for some independence which toddlers crave at this age. My son wakes up, turns on his own TV, and plays (not so quietly) in the mornings until his dad or I come into his room. Another benefit is the decreased number of tantrums! When its bath time and we turn off the
tablet, he does not fall-out because he fully understands that bath time means no tablet. Occasionally, he will throw a tantrum or two because he is three and the complete absence of tantrums is just not a
reality.
Keeping in mind that younger children are still getting used to the ever-changing world around them, routines and schedules can pose some drawbacks such as negative reactions at times. For example, the
quarantine, as we know, has forever changed our lives. As a safety response, my son’s daycare no longer allows parents to walk their child/children into the school and give them that warm goodbye from the
classroom. Instead, we are only allowed to hand off our child at the door outside. I must admit, I do not like this change at all, but while I fully understand why this change is necessary, my toddler cannot grasp
the concept. The routine we had has been completely thrown off, and as a result, he cries every morning now at drop off.
Ways that you can help younger children in particular with changes are to simply talk to them. Trust me; they understand more than you think. Be reassuring in your words and create new routines that they
can adjust to. Here’s mine:
Sample Routine for Younger Children (approximately ages 9 months-4 years)
7:00 am – 8:00 am: Morning wake up: we usually let him wake up on his own because frankly, he is up
before we are anyway.
TV time
8:00am -9:00am: Getting Dressed
Brush teeth and wash our face
Brush his hair
Get dressed for school
Eat a breakfast snack – banana, mini muffins, granola bar, frozen sausage biscuits
9:00 am: Morning Drive
Daycare drop off
5:00 pm: Evening Drive
Pick up from daycare
Eat a snack on the way home – grapes, cheerios or chips
5:15pm – 6:30pm: Home Learning and Play
Homework
Watch cartoons or play with his tablet
6:30pm – 7:00pm: Food!
Eat dinner
We always offer a meat, starch, and a veggie since veggies are hit or miss with him. He always
eats a veggie pouch. Kids are visible creatures. He loves vegetables because he eats every kind in
pouch form; however, placed in front of him is another story.
7:00pm – 8:00pm: Bath Time!
8:30pm -9:00pm: BEDTIME!!
As part of bedtime, we do a bedtime countdown in 10-minute intervals. This gives him a sense of whine downtime and gives a better understanding that bedtime is approaching. No tantrums!
