Daily Routine Instills Dependability
Date :
Thursday, November 19 2009
Source:
Autourina Mains
Think back to a time when you were on vacation and did not have to keep a “schedule” or you did not have to keep track of the date or time of the day. Though it is nice to be away from the busy of everyday life, it also feels as if you are out of touch. A daily routine keeps the mind organized and brings order to life.
Toddlers flourish on routine because routine gives consistency and is essential in helping the toddler feel safe, and secure. A daily routine offers predictability, and keeps the mind organized. Children don’t have a concept of time until they are about 7 years old and having a daily routine and schedule is a way to help toddlers measure their lives by the order of events.
Having a daily routine can help decrease behavior issues because when a toddler knows what is expected of him, he is more likely to be cooperative. To ease waking in the morning and going to be at night, and eliminating struggles, having a set routine and schedule is most helpful. Meal time rituals, nap time, story time, quite time, play time are all important daily routines to establish.
To help your toddler learn daily routine or schedule, you can take photos of you and your child throughout the day and post them. For instance take a picture of you and your child brushing your teeth, washing your face, reading a book, getting ready for nap time or bed time, etc. You can either post the pictures in different rooms (brushing teeth in the bathroom) or make a little story book that you and your toddler can read together. If you go to visit grandpa on Sundays then when Sunday comes around you can point to the picture and talk to your toddler about visiting grandpa.
Just as it is important for the toddler to learn the family routine, it is also important for the family to consider the toddler’s schedule and try to plan their day around the child’s schedule. Though we all have to remain flexible it is very considerate to not plan going to run errands when it is toddler’s nap time. That does not mean you can’t ever deviate from the schedule but it just means you are being respectful to the child and teaching him or her to be respectful to the family’s schedule. Just remember that it is much easier to follow a schedule and a set routine than try to bring order to the chaos of no routine.