What have you been doing this summer? Sleeping in. Playing outdoors. Swimming. Hiking. Playgrounds. Lots of sunshine and long days. I personally don’t want it to end. Yet, the school year is fast approaching. Time to get back to routines that will keep our lives organized as well as keep us sane. Yet, the school year is fast approaching. Time to get back to routines that will keep our lives organized as well as keep us sane.
Let’s talk about why we have routines, how to set up a good routine, and what types of routines will help with the quickly approaching school year.
At the end you’ll also have the chance to pick up our newest freebie, the Back to School Checklist and Countdown Chain and check out our course Getting Ready for the First Day of Kindergarten. You won’t want to miss it!
Why do we seem to do better with routines in place?
Family life during the school year can get very busy. School obligations. Homework. Projects. After school activities. Sporting events. Special appointments. Maybe even an occasional date night for the grown-ups.
The routines your family set up will help everyone know what, when, and how to do what needs to be done. If we’ve set up routines for the predictable things, our stress and anxiety levels are lowered. Mundane but important tasks become more efficient and that frees up time for the things we love to do. Your home will become calmer. Your children develop healthy habits. You will have a better chance to remember all you need to keep track of.
“Routines create manageable expectations that allow children to build emotional resilience, such as saying goodbye to a parent.” Which is important on that first day of Kindergarten.
Research has shown that children thrive with routines. These are 3 big benefits…
- Support your child’s early emotional development in which they develop a sense of their own feelings as well as minimizes overwhelm because routines create reasonable expectations.
- Your child’s senses of security and safety grow as they have the feeling of control over that time frame and activity.
- Routines offer a sense of stability in times of stress, like the beginning of the school year
Routine can help your child learn so many things about life and themselves
- Responsibility
- Independence
- Cooperation
- Greater confidence
- How to sequence events
- Self-control
- About cause and effect
- When routines are in place, your child won’t need to think about the next step, it will be automatic.
- This frees up their ability to extend their thinking and problem-solving skills.
How do we set up routines?
It’s actually very simple. Let’s talk about a simple routine that many families have developed and I’ll show you the steps.
1 – Chose a certain activity or time of day
1 – Nighttime Routine (After dinner to bedtime)
2 – Start by really thinking out what you want to accomplish. You want your routine to be well planned, happening on a regular basis, and predictable. Throughout the process make sure that you account for those times you and your child will have to be flexible.
2 – I would like the home picked up and the children cleaned up before bed. I really wish to keep the time frame calm, so my children can calm down and be ready to sleep by the end.
3 – Make a list
- Our Night Time Routine
- pick up toys and straighten family areas together
- Make sure needed school backpacks and such are ready and in place
- Choose clothes for the morning
- Bath time or clean up faces
- Using the restroom and washing hands well
- Brush teeth
- Get on pj’s
- Read a book together or tell a story together
- Share what we are grateful for or say a prayer
- Hugs and kisses
- Time for bed
4 – In the beginning you will have to guide your little ones through each step of the routine. I know that I will have to spend time helping my children with each step in the beginning.
I4 – ’ll have to watch that they know where toys and other items go when picking up. I’ll help my child with pj’s if needed but then be there in case that one arm hole is being really tricky. 🙂
5 – Be very specific in your directions. Be Patient.
5 – Learning to properly wash up and brush teeth will take time and clear instructions.
6 – Create visuals as reminders if needed. Either pictures or a written checklist.
6 – I may find some pictures of how to brush teeth and place them on the bathroom mirror.
7 – The more time you take now, the more independent they will be in the future.
7 – At first I will have to give up my time to do each step in the routine.
8 – Slowly release your child to do the parts they can independently.
8 – Then as they become more independent, I know that I will just have to monitor and they should be able to do the routine once I get them started. Randomly review the steps as a reminder.
9 – Enjoy the stress free moments that routine offers you.
9 – The house will be a bit neater. The children will be a bit cleaner. And as we settle down to enjoy a story, our lives will be a bit calmer.
So, what types of routines will help your family calmly get through the transition from summer into the school year?
- Getting ready in the morning
- Breakfast
- Getting out the door for school and work
- After school
- Homework
- Dinner time
- Bedtime
- Picking up the toys and house
- Setting the table
- Helping with laundry
- Caring for pets
- Doing dishes
It seems like a lot, but your lives will be so much easier once you’ve established routines and habits that fit into your family’s schedule.
“If you have good habits, time becomes your ally. All you need is patience.” James Clear
Now, that we’ve talked about routines, I’d love to share something new with you! I have put together a simple mini course with suggestions for routines to get started as your family gets ready for the first day of school. It covers 7 things you will need to think about and gives you ideas you need to get them going. It’s so simple to get going. Sign up for the freebie, Back to School Checklist and Countdown Chain! and in that freebie is a link that will take you to the $7 mini-course sign up! So simple and So worth it. I’d love to see you there.
