Everyone is stuck inside right now, and it’s probably making most of us a little stir crazy, but if there’s one part of your family that probably hates change and boredom more than anyone, it’s your kids.
A quick solution to this could be to help create a daily routine and schedule for them to follow, to help them (and you) feel a little less aimless!
The Benefits of a Daily Routine for Kids
Despite what they may try to tell you, kids actually tend to thrive under routine and structure, even if they’re not always the most excited about it. Especially in these times of indefinite school closures and uncertainty, the idea of creating a schedule and structure for your kids can help them feel a little more normal and give them something to do and look forward to during their days.
By providing guidance through the form of a daily routine and schedule, your kids will feel a little more connected to their daily lives and can help prevent boredom and frustration while everyone tries to figure out what the heck we’re all gonna do next.
How to Create a Daily Schedule for Your Kids
The best place to start in creating a daily routine for your kids is to review the sort of things your family normally does anyway. Do your kids have to be awake at a certain time to start their home-schooling or online classes? Does dinner time tend to happen at the same time every day?
You should take a look at the activities your household performs most often and think about how to most easily configure your home to accommodate those goals. For instance, if your kids used to have a ‘landing pad’ to keep their backpack and school papers together, you could consider using your entryway storage to help your kids still feel like they’re using their backpack and their school textbooks, even if they’re actually at home in front of the computer and not in class.
From there, it boils down to making a schedule. Now when we say ‘schedule’, we don’t mean it has to be a hard-and-fast military routine by any means! But there is a lot of value to keeping things generally flowing in the same order every day so your kids feel a little more grounded and connected to the world around them even during these uncertain times.
For example, you could set a morning routine of:
- Waking up at the same time every day
- Picking out your own outfits from your bedroom dresser
- Making your bed after you get dressed
And so on. The day could include things like:
- Finishing at-home classwork for the day
- Helping with lunch (as age-appropriate)
- Helping with chores around the house, especially in rooms the kids are usually in (playrooms, living rooms, etc)
Really, this part just requires some imagination. Make a list of the things your kids do (or should do) each day and try to get them in the habit of doing it at the same time every day. Sure, it won’t be as fun as seeing their friends at school, but it can help them keep a bit of ‘reality’ in their day to day life, and it just might make things a little easier on everyone.