Routines why are they important

Think of it as your friend, offering the little routines and traditions that make life both easier and cozier. Not only will your kids will soak up the security, they'll internalize the ability to structure their own lives. Infants tell us what they need. We feed them when they're hungry, change them when they're wet. Over time, they learn the first step of a routine: We sleep at night. But forcing an infant to accommodate to our routine is not responsive to your infant's needs. She is not capable of adapting to yours yet.

If her needs aren't met, she will simply feel as if the world is a place where her needs don't get met, so she has to resort to drama to try to meet them. As your infant moves into babyhood, she will establish her own routine, settling into a schedule of sorts. Most babies settle into a fairly predictable pattern. We can help them with this by structuring our day around their needs, so, for instance, we make sure conditions are appropriate for her nap at the time she usually sleeps. Gradually, over time, we can respond to her natural schedule of eating and sleeping by developing a routine that works for her and for the whole family.

Routines eliminate power struggles because you aren't bossing the child around. This activity brushing teeth, napping, turning off the TV to come to dinner is just what we do at this time of day.

The parent stops being the bad guy, and nagging is greatly reduced. Routines help kids cooperate by reducing stress and anxiety for everyone. We all know what comes next, we get fair warning for transitions, and no one feels pushed around, or like parents are being arbitrary.

Over time, kids learn to brush their teeth, pack their backpacks, etc. Kids love being in charge of themselves. This feeling increases their sense of mastery and competence. Kids who feel more independent and in charge of themselves have less need to rebel and be oppositional.

He may want to go to the playground now, but he can learn that we always go to the playground in the afternoon, and he can look forward to it then. We all know that we need to connect with our children every day, but when our focus is on moving kids through the schedule to get them to bed, we miss out on opportunities to connect.

If we build little connection rituals into our routine, they become habit. Try a snuggle with each child when you first see them in the morning, or a "recognition" ritual when you're first reunited:. Rituals like these slow you down and connect you on a visceral level with your child, and if you do them as just "part of the routine" they build security as well as connection and cooperation.

If everything is a fight, parents end up settling: more TV, skip brushing teeth for tonight, etc. With a routine, parents are more likely to stick to healthy expectations for everyone in the family, because that's just the way we do things in our household. The result: a family with healthy habits, where everything runs more smoothly! If you are not seeing them on your page, it may be that your browser is not picking them up.

Please try a different browser. Just what I needed. None of the other methods of "disciplining" were working for us. These articles are really helping me understand what my son needs. Older children and teenagers might grow out of or start to challenge some routines. For example, you might need to adjust bedtimes or chores. Skip to content Skip to navigation. Routines: the basics Family routines set out how families organise themselves to get things done, spend time together and have fun.

Why routines are good for children Routines can be good for children for several reasons. Why routines are good for parents Routines take some effort to create. Routines help your family get through your daily tasks more efficiently and free up time for other things. What makes a good daily routine? A good routine is one that suits your family.

It also has three key features. Toddlers and preschoolers: ideas for daily routines For toddlers and preschoolers, you could have routines for: getting ready in the morning eating meals spending time playing and talking together reading books or telling stories having quiet time and going to bed at night.

School-age children: ideas for daily routines For school-age children, you could have routines for: getting ready in the morning and going to bed at night doing after-school activities like hobbies or sport doing chores — for example, setting the dinner table, unpacking the dishwasher, helping with the laundry, or caring for pets doing homework. Teenagers: ideas for daily routines For teenagers, you could have routines for: getting ready in the morning or winding down after coming home from school doing laundry or other chores like making beds and cleaning rooms doing homework doing after-school activities, including hobbies or sport spending time with family relaxing before bed.

For children, this can mean getting up at the same time everyday as they would if they were going to school, having all three meals at the same time throughout the day, and having structured times for other activities, such as for taking naps, exercising, and going to bed on a night.

Additionally, while it can be tempting to stay in pyjamas all day, you should encourage your children to get dressed. This will help to boost productivity and ensure a separation between daytime and nighttime.

Encourage your children to get up and move around during the day. As well as making the most of your one allocation of outdoor exercise everyday, which you could use on a family walk, for example, find new ways to move around at home. This could be anything from skipping in the garden, running up the stairs a few times, or engaging in more structured activity.

For example, Joe Wicks is streaming P. This includes entire schemes of work, assessments, and online educational games. Technologies such as Skype, FaceTime, and Zoom are a great way to keep in touch with friends and family members alike and have a virtual face to face conversation.

Additionally, messaging apps including WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are also a great way of keeping in touch with people, so long as all of these apps are used safely. With more time on their hands than before, children will be increasing their screen time, whether that is to message their friends, play games online, or try to become TikTok famous. For example, allowing them to do this at a certain time each day, or after completing a piece of schoolwork, will teach your children the importance of taking the time away from their screens, and valuing the time that they do spend on them.

One great way of making a routine, and sticking to it, is to physically write it down and display it somewhere where all of the family will easily see it. The template contains all seven days of the week as well as different times of the day. You can download the template using the button below. Free Weekly Planner for Children. We are currently living in unusual times, with our usual school and work routines postponed for the foreseeable future.