Create a Family Routine That Works

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A Family Routine.

You either love them or hate them. Sometimes it’s hard to create a family routine that works.

I have been working with children my entire life. I started babysitting when I was a young teenager. I gained a lot of experience through my teenage years babysitting, working in a daycare, and becoming a nanny.

After I married, I opened a daycare in my home. When I had kids, I felt as though I had a vast knowledge when it came to helping children thrive daily.

One of the lessons I learned was that children thrive on routine.

Whether you like routines or not, the evidence is there.

So you know your family will benefit from a daily routine, but HOW do you create one?

Related Read: Tools I Use to Create A Peaceful Home.

First, start with looking at the necessities before creating a family routine.

Every person rests easier when they know their needs will be met. Take a look at the necessities. When do you sleep, eat, and rest?

Children are no different from us. They need to know when their needs will be met. The little people in our lives are solely dependent on the adults in their lives. If they have no idea what is coming next, you are setting yourself up for disaster.

The disaster will typically manifest itself in the form of meltdowns and tantrums.

When you start creating your family routine, look at what your family’s necessities are. Write down when you eat your main meals. When will you give your children snacks? Do they need to wake up at a certain time to prepare for school? What time do they need to go to bed to receive enough rest? Do you require nap time? Etc.

Write the necessities down first.

Second, take a look at your family schedule.

What is your family schedule? When do you work? When does your spouse work?

Do your children go to public school? Are they homeschooled? When do you do your homeschool lessons or help them with homework?

Do your children participate in any sports or extras? Do you or your spouse have any outside commitments?

Write them all down.

Third, take a look at your family patterns.

What are your family patterns? Do your children require a lot of sleep? Do they wake with the sun? Maybe you have babies that need two or three naps still.

Look at your family patterns.

Fourth, write it all down.

I have been mentioning this throughout, but this is an important step!

Write it all down.

Everything you can think of.

When you write all of this information about your family, you will see a natural pattern emerge. Once you see this pattern, you can start creating a routine that works for your individual family.

Fifth, give yourself wiggle room.

No family is the same, and no routine will be the same. Give yourself some wiggle room.

A routine is different from a schedule. A routine is a pattern that you maintain daily but doesn’t have time restraints.

For example, my children know that when they wake up, they are expected to make their beds, get dressed, eat breakfast and brush their teeth. They do this routine as soon as they wake up every day except for Saturday. I allow them to have wiggle room when we can.

Allow yourself wiggle room.

It is okay if you can’t eat lunch at noon every day.

Your children care more about what comes next than what time each activity will take place and completing each activity on time.

For example, my children know that it’s our quiet time after lunch. As soon as they finish their lunch, both of them head upstairs now without me even telling them.

That’s the beauty of routine. Knowing what to expect.

Related Read: Do Routines Really Work?

So there you have it. Follow these steps, and you can create a routine for your family in no time!

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