Benefits of Routines For Kids

Benefits of Routines For Preschoolers

Children thrive under structure and routine. It allows for them to feel safe and secure enough to take risks and know that they are going to have a safety net to fall back on. When families have clear structured routines, kids feel comfortable testing the boundaries to understand what they are allowed to do and what they are not. That is totally normal. Be firm in your routines, especially when trying to establish new ones, so that they have meaning behind them. And don’t be afraid to explain why you are starting a new routine with your kids if they have questions.

 

Think of all the routines that you have in your life as an adult that help you manage your life. You come home from work, take off your shoes, put your keys by the door, sit down to open the mail from the day, get yourself something to drink, start cooking dinner, eat dinner, watch tv, brhs your teeth, and go to bed. Those routines are seamless to you because you have been doing them since you can remember.

 

Kids need routines to keep their lives in order, even more so than adults. They are just learning to regulate their bodies and their actions and routines provide a structure in which they can do that. Things like brushing your teeth before going to bed aren’t skills we are born with, we learn them. As parents, we can give our kids the routines that they need by following along with the routines ourselves. Show your kids how you get ready for bed and do their bedtime routine with them.

 

Routines teach kids important skills:

Routines build these skills by implementing a place where kids can transfer their understanding of  how to act in situations that are not familiar to them. If you say that is is bedtime but they really wanted to play with legos for the whole night, you can talk about how tomorrow they are going to be able to finish their leggo design, focusing on delayed gratification. Be sure that they get that time you told them they would get the following day, showing your kids that you mean what you say. So next week when you say that is time to leave for school but they were drawing a really amazing treasure map, that transition is a little bit easier, because they remember that they did in fact get to finish their legos and they will be able to finish their map.

 

If you feel like you need more routines and structure in you and your child’s life don’t worry, start small and build up to having really secure routines for ease of mind. Start by creating a lunchtime routine – it’s the middle of the day so nobody is too groggy and you can develop the routine together. Have your children come in from playing everyday at 12:00, wash their hands, get their own water to drink and their own plate of food, and then sit down at the table together. By establishing the time at which we have lunch, and the way that kids are going to be responsible for carrying their own drink or plate, you have created parameters for them to be successful in.

 

A few good routines to start with are:

We make routines for our kids well being, not to be super strict adults who love telling our kids what to do. Routines don’t mean that you can’t ever go get that spontaneous after school ice cream. They just mean that when you do it is extra special because it is out of the blue. We want to encourage our kids to be the best they can be and by providing a framework within our family of how to be successful, we are setting up our kids to face challenging while knowing that they have a support system at home.