We’ve all been there. Our day gets packed with activities and appointments, and our kids beg for our attention. Throw in a daylight savings time change and our entire week is now off course. Keeping kids on a regular schedule or routine can really help impact both our children’s day-to-day and our own. Here are some helpful ways to keep your kids on a schedule:
Establish Consistent Bedtime and Wake-Up Times
Go to bed every night at the same time and wake up every morning at the same time.
Ensure a calming bedtime routine to help with transitions, such as dimming lights and using soft music.
Create Structured Morning and Nighttime Routines
Morning Routine: Get up, use the bathroom, brush teeth, get dressed, make bed.
Nighttime Routine: Use the bathroom, brush teeth, put on PJs, read a bedtime story.
Narrate each step of the routine to reinforce language development (e.g., “Now we brush our teeth.”).
Adapt Expectations Based on Age and Needs
For younger kids, set smaller, manageable expectations.
As they grow, gradually introduce more complex routines and communicate these expectations clearly.
For children with sensory sensitivities, use timers with soft sounds instead of loud alarms and allow extra transition time.
Use Visual Schedules
Utilize charts, picture-based communication boards, or apps to help children with speech delays follow the routine.
Consider using a first-then board (e.g., “First brush teeth, then storytime”) to support transitions.
Free printable visual schedules are available online from speech therapy resources and parenting websites. Here are chart ideas we found on Pinterest.
Make It Fun and Engaging
Use songs or rhymes to signal transitions (e.g., a clean-up song before bedtime).
Let kids help create their own schedules with stickers, colors, or drawings.
Turn routine tasks into games (e.g., “Let’s see how fast we can put on pajamas!”).
Integrate Speech and Language Development into Routines
Embed speech activities into daily tasks (e.g., naming objects while getting dressed, asking open-ended questions during meals).
Use interactive bedtime stories that encourage language development (e.g., books with rhyming patterns or picture descriptions).
Encourage conversation by allowing children to narrate their routine steps.
Stay Consistent but Flexible
Be patient, consistent, and stick to the schedule as much as possible.
If disruptions happen, calmly guide your child back to the routine.
Evaluate the schedule every few weeks and tweak anything that isn’t working.
Don’t worry! You’ve got this and you have us for support!