Routines are very important in my Daycare and I have many different types of routines in place throughout the day. I have my every day schedule that covers larger chunks of time (meals, art, outside time, circle time, etc.) and then I have mini routines that help the children do different activities during the day (hand washing routine, clean-up routine, before nap routine, etc.).
Here is our basic daily routine:
Before 8am — Children are dropped off- Free Play
8:00 am — Breakfast
8:30 am — Music and Movement
9:00 am — Outside Time
10:00 am — Circle Time
10:15 am — Free Play
11:00 am — Lunch
11:45 am — Story Time
12:00 pm — Nap time
2:00 pm — Snack Time
2:30 pm — STEAM Activities
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math)
3:00 pm — Outside Time
4:00 pm — Free Play and Parent Pick-up
Of course, this schedule can be altered depending on the children’s needs each day. For example, if the children are really engaged in an art activity and want to spend more time doing it, I can easily postpone outside time to allow the children more time to finish their art.
Why should children follow a routine?
Having a routine gives children structure and makes them feel comfortable in their environment. When children know what to expect from their day, they are more calm and can more easily transition from activity to activity. On days when I change the routine too much, I notice the children are more restless and have a harder time throughout the day. I try to keep major changes to the routine at a minimum in order to avoid toddler meltdowns.
A routine can also help children begin to understand time and sequencing. If a child asks when it is time for their mom to come, instead of telling them at 4:00 pm (which they have no concept of what that means) I can tell them, “Once we finish eating snack, we will do our science activity, go outside, and then your mom will be here to pick you up.” They now have a sense that their mom will come after outside time and can look forward to the upcoming activities knowing when their mom will be there.
As important as routines are for children, I also use the routines to help my own sanity. Being the only adult around six children all under the age of 4 can be exhausting. The routine helps me stay focused and motivated throughout the day. I know which activities are coming up and what I need to be setting up for.
Is a routine right for me?
Everyone can create a routine for their children even if it looks nothing like the schedule above, and it probably won’t! Having a daycare makes me follow a more detailed daily routine than I did when I was a stay-at-home-mom with only 2 children. As a stay-at-home-mom I could be more relaxed about my routine, but I still had to have some parts of my day constant. I decided to make sure that meals and nap times were as close to the same time each day as possible. The top two reasons my children would get cranky were because they were tired or hungry, so I made sure to plan any other activities around meal times and nap times. Other than meals and naps, I didn’t really have any other routines set and that was fine for me at the time. May be you only need a simple routine like this or may be you could benefit from a more detailed routine like I laid out above. Whichever routine works best for you, do that.
So, if you don’t already have a daily routine in place, you should think about starting one. Start simple and pick 1-2 activities you want to have more structured and try those first. See if the new routines make a difference in your children’s day. You can add more activities to your daily routine as your child becomes familiar with the new routine.
Do you have a routine for your children? What activities do you/will you make sure to include in your routine each day? Share your thoughts in the comments down below!