How To Establish A Daily Routine That Is Beneficial To Your Family
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Family routines are an important aspect to family life. Sometimes routines need to be adjusted as family needs change, and sometimes a family routine is needed because family life is challenging.
Getting into the groove of a daily routine can seem like a boring and tedious task for some family members. Some parents may even thing that a scheduled life prevents the family from doing spontaneous events because you’re always watching the clock for the next item on the schedule.
Family routines aren’t for every family, however they certainly can help create a better family atmosphere and even improve behavioral issues your kids may be facing.
But today I’ll persuade you that having and sticking to a regular schedule will help your entire family.
Then, to help your family thrive, I’ll lead you through developing a tailored daily routine that works for your family so you can focus on enjoying family time with board games, fun activities and quality time without having to worry about daily tasks, this is where having a daily routine comes in handy.
Routines can assist children in developing important executive functioning skills that will allow them to maximize their abilities and prepare them for adulthood.
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What Is The Difference Between a Schedule and A Routine
Routines are a set of actions that are repeated on a regular basis. Families utilise routines to organise and manage their daily lives. Routines are concerned with how things are done in the home.
Schedules are different from routines in that they have specific times allotted to them. The schedules are frequently more rigid. The way the family uses the clock to get through the day is the emphasis of schedules.
Moms who want to improve their organisation skills master finding balance in their routines and schedules. Some aspects of your day may require planning, while others might just be normal.
How To Create A Family Routine
In order to create a family routine that works for you, you need to do a few things:
- Brainstorm your daily activities and needs
- Order the important items first
- Display the routine
- Explain the routine
- Practice
- Revise the routine when needed
See also: After School Routine For Kids To Simplify Your Busy Life
Brainstorm
The items on this list should be done on a daily basis. Just jot down what the family needs to accomplish in a week.
Take notes as you mentally walk through your family’s week. Take into account your current daily routines.
It is entirely up to you whether you create a single overarching pattern for the entire family or whether each family member follows their own timetable.
I want to urge you to include daily read-aloud time with your children as well as one-on-one time with them. These two items will help to build your relationship. According to surveys, they are the two things that children remember about their parents after they leave the house.
Try to keep your to-do list to 12 to 15 items or less. Otherwise, it’s excessive. Also, leave out any weekend activities. Make a distinct weekend routine or use a different calendar.
I get up before my children and go through my own morning routine. That isn’t on my Daily Routine For The Family, but it might be for you. In addition, I maintain a daily To-Do list that is continually updated.
This is kept separate from what I share with the rest of the family. That’s the benefit of being able to make your own timetable.
See also: The One Thing You Need For A Chaos Free School Morning Routine For Kids
Order
Take some time to consider this step because that is what routine is all about.
Experts recommend that you prioritize the most vital items first. The items that need the most energy should be done first thing in the morning.
If you work from home, you’ll want to schedule lots of free time and activities to ensure that you get your work done. Every effective work-at-home parent I know gets up two hours before their children to do the Must-Dos.
You can typically offer your kids an hour of screen time while you work during the day, but anything more than that will cost you later.
Create a plan that works for your family. Some mothers I know write the names of their children and grandchildren next to the activity. If the children are too young to read, you can use pictures instead.
Take photos of the kids performing the processes, print them out, and place them on a chart in the sequence you want them to be completed.
You’ll be astonished at how enthusiastically young children respond to these charts. Some mothers I know keep track of their children’s routines on a chart. What do you and your family require?
Some bullets have their own set of routines. Teach your children these specific mini-routines. If that’s the case, devote one week to one component of the routine. You could, for example, write your morning routine on a chart.
Make your bed, get dressed, brush your teeth, brush your hair, and clean down the sink are some examples.
Allow your children to participate. The more people participate in its creation, the more they will believe in it!
They can, for example, choose the order of their morning routine. Who cares what sequence things happen in as long as they are done. There are several ways to skin a cat. This is an area where I wish to take the path of least resistance.
See also: Easy 1 Year Old Daily Schedule From A Mom Of 3
Display
Post your Daily Family Routine somewhere in the house where everyone can see it and refer to it. The primary routine can be posted in a prominent location, while the mini-routines (morning routines, bedtime routine, breastfeeding schedules, homeschool routines, etc.) can be posted in the rooms where they occur.
I strongly advise you to search for Family Command Centers on Pinterest. There’s a lot of useful information here, and you’ll get some great ideas for displaying your family’s calendars, schedules, and routines.
Creating a consistent routine is easier with visual cues, especially if it’s a new routine.
Explain
Another important thing to do when creating a routine for the whole family is to discuss the events that will occur at the same time. Other events may not occur at specific times, but they will occur in the same order.
Talk about how these habits will become a part of your family schedule and how this new habit will help your family.
Practice
Give yourself extra grace if you have a new daily routine. Routines do not have to be structured in a formal or militaristic manner.
A family routine simply informs everyone of the order in which events will occur on as many days as possible during the year. Effective routines also reduce a power struggle between parents and kids!
The items stated on the routines are not the only events that take place during the day for the family. Other things can happen in between bullets, or certain bullets may need to be replaced on specific days.
We might get a call from a friend saying we’re going to the park. You have the ability to be adaptable, amusing, and spontaneous with your new family routines.
See also: The Best Sleep Clocks For Toddlers [And Why You Might Want To Get One]
Revise
Last year, I recognized my children and I needed a little more help, so I made two additional lists to go along with our normal list.
On days when I didn’t have a plan, I needed to be able to come up with chores and extracurricular activities for the boys.
If you’re looking for task ideas, look out Age-Appropriate Chore Charts on Pinterest. You’ll be inundated with ideas and suggestions about where to begin. All of this must be taught to your children, one again.
They don’t automatically wake up and start following routines and chore time because they’re healthy habits that mom came up with.
Sticking To A Family Routine Isn’t Easy Right Away
Be gentle with yourself and your family. It’s not enough to post daily routines and timetables and expect them to be followed. It takes a lot of practise. Your household will occasionally fall behind schedule.
The less stress surrounding the timetable, the more likely the kids are to accept this new sense of security. “Oops,” you say. We were running late. So, where do we go from here? Oh, the next item on our family’s to-do list is to take the dogs for a walk…”
Expect some pushback from both yourself and your children. If there is a lot of persistent resistance, look at that different part of the routine and see if it satisfies the needs of everyone in the family. When and where necessary, tweak the regular routine.
Expect to say nothing and suddenly something happens. This family calendar long-term procedure that is well worth the effort. You are preparing your children to become adults in the future.
Routines are about having a plan in place to ensure that the family’s goals and culture are met. Taking the back roads or scenic way every now and again is enjoyable. However, if you find yourself straying from the pattern too frequently, it’s likely that you’re letting life to happen to your family.
You want to make decisions about how your family will live.
Routines can assist with some of this.
How To Establish A Daily Routine That Is Beneficial To Your Family Bottom Line
Having processes and frameworks in place for your family will aid in their success. When a family is in disarray, the first place to look is at the family’s processes and structures.
Routines and timetables play an important role in this system. I’m confident they’ll be worth every minute your family spends planning, preparing, and executing them.
With a few new systems in place you can implement quiet time, nap time, family meeting times, game nights, movie night and even grocery store runs into your schedule.
Your older children will know what’s going on so there will be less uncertain times and your kids are more likely to join you at the dinner table too!