Do you have a favorite routine in your day?
Perhaps it’s your morning coffee…or sitting down with a good book after a long day at work. Maybe your favorite routine is just sitting back and doing nothing. During the very few precious minutes you get during the day when somebody is not asking you for something. Whatever your favorite routine is, I’m sure that if something keeps you from enjoying that routine – your whole day gets thrown off. It can be really hard to focus or enjoy much of anything during that day.
Kids crave routine too. As much as they often seem to enjoy new things, new toys, and new places…they (like us) crave familiar things as well. Here are some ways family routines can benefit our kids:
- Routines bring a sense of comfort.
- Helps kids relax and feel safe.
- It gives them something to look forward to.
- Can bring some consistency to what can sometimes seem or feel like a big, scary world.
Routines can be really hard to create with the busyness of life. Some days it seems like we feel fortunate just to have a moment to breathe during the day. Other times our circumstances and factors outside of our control continue weighing on us and prevent us from feeling like we can enjoy even simple things. It’s at these times where I’d argue that even being able to cling to one routine can really help both us and our children relieve some of the stress we feel in our everyday lives.
Make Parenting A Pleasure has a session focused on the Family Helpers. We believe that one of the best things that a family can do to manage the stresses of life better is implement a family routine or rule. One that the everyone can follow and work together to implement, brings family members together and becomes ingrained in kids’ daily habits. It also helps prepare them for school, activities, sports, and careers where daily rules and routines need to be followed.
What’s one thing you can try to start doing every day with your kids? What’s a family routine that you can start that everyone can follow? Here are some simple ideas:
- Read a favorite book before bed every night
- Create a silly morning wake-up routine
- Play a car game on the way to school or work each day.
- Add in a device-free dinner once a week, where everything is turned off so you can eat and enjoy a night without distraction.
- Practice positive affirmations with your kids in front of the mirror when getting
- Have them help you with dishes
Whatever it is, I encourage you to look for something your child really enjoys and try to make it a daily habit with them. You may even notice a change in their behavior and mood, and you’ll definitely notice an excited little one anxiously awaiting the moment in the day when they get to do their favorite routine with you.