Reasons Why Children Should Develop Daily Routines

Daily routines are as important as food and sleep. In fact, parents should set a mealtime and sleep schedule for their children as well.

 

But, what are the effects of routines on children? What can we do to help them develop healthy routines?

It Helps Your Child Be Responsible With Their Schedule

 

If you work to improve your child’s body clock, you save your family (including your child) a lot of drama. Tantrums sometimes happen out of nowhere, but many times the cause is a lack of routine.

 

Routines may sound boring, but they are relevant for your child’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Having a daily routine means that he knows what comes next and what to expect. That makes him feel secure in a big, scary world with too many strange faces.

 

So, the bedtime is always at 7 ‘o’clock at your home. The bedtime routine consists of dinner, quiet time, bath, brushing teeth, and reading stories before turning off the lights.

 

If you stick to that routine, your child will do the same. If you don’t set it up, your child feels insecure and without the will to greet the bedtime.

Strengthens Family Bond 

Since we live in a fast-paced world, not all parents have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with their children. However, daily routines can affect the family bond positively.

 

Have dinner all together, at the same time every night, and enjoy quiet time with your kid before bed. Book every Sunday for family adventures. That way, the child will always have something nice to expect — the time spent with you.

 

Here’s one of the nice things you can include in your daily routine if your kid is going through a difficult period. Have a secret greeting only the two of you can understand.

 

For example, if it is difficult for a child to separate from you and you have to go to work, let the secret greeting be proof that you will always come back for more games and cuddles.

Builds a Calm and Safe Household

Kids love it when we include them in activities at home. They like to help with household chores because they feel diligent and grown-up, like us. Who is their role model? Well, we are! 

 

Nothing’s wrong with your son if he wants to wash the dishes. And nothing wrong with your daughter if she tries to fix your car tire. It is their way of competing with the world and standing side by side with you. These activities make your children happy.

 

They want to feel as relevant as you. Choose one day a week to involve them in doing activities with you as this is very important for their self-confidence.

Trains Your Child to Be Confident and Independent 

When you decide to practice a specific routine with your child, they can easily predict what will happen next. That helps them feel secure and prepared.

 

But also, as time goes on, you can expect your child to initiate what is next and be confident about their choices. That will raise the child’s self-awareness as well as self-confidence.

 

So, if you want to help your child understand how the world around them works and how to manage their days, now is the time to develop healthy routines.

 

Include a morning routine, bedtime routine, and mealtime routine in your child’s daily schedule.

Apart from these, keep learning, free play, outdoor play, a playdate with friends, and similar activities at the same time each day. Of course, don’t look at the clock too much. But don’t go outside to play when it’s lunchtime either.

Provides Stability in Times of Change and Stress 

Your little sunshine will face conflicts throughout his life, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. And that’s ok. Children learn from experiences, whether they are happy or unhappy ones.

 

However, here comes another of the effects of routines on children. They prepare them for major changes in life such as divorce, death of the loved one, change of school, moving out, etc.

 

How does having a daily schedule work wonders for managing stress levels and preparing your child to become mentally stable in any conflict? They always know better days are coming, and they are always looking forward to doing something in their safe space.

Establishes Flexibility in Children 

How many people with the flexibility trait do you know? A little, right? And how much do you appreciate the minority of those flexible minds that adapt to any situation with ease?

 

Your child deserves this trait, and you can help him with that. If you practice introducing a daily routine into your child’s life early, then your child has enough time to practice until he or she becomes completely independent.

 

Here is one example through which you plant the seeds of flexibility in your child’s mind by taking baby steps. At home, your child’s morning and bedtime routines are exactly the same. But when you are on vacation, your child does not have all his belongings there, and maybe not everything can be just like at home.

 

Maybe they don’t wake up at the same time. On vacation, you will walk a lot, study less and spend all day together. However, if you make an effort to do things like brushing your teeth before bed and watching TV after learning activities, you are, in a way, still sticking to your daily schedule.

 

The point is to teach the child to alter decisions without compromising routines. Trust us that your child will be grateful for all the skills you help him develop.