Heyyy everyone! Lets chat back to school routines. As summer comes to an end and families start to get back into the swing of school time, I am curious to know what routines everyone has with their families. For our family, we don’t have anyone in school yet, but Burt and I decided that I would do a little “homeschool” routine with Lexi this year to prepare her for preschool next year. We have spent the last 8 months trying to get McKenna on a good sleep schedule and I’m feeling so much guilt because Lexi’s priorities have gotten put on hold since McKenna was born. So, we decided to try our own routine at home to give Lexi a bit of one on one time. Routines are great for kids. Consistent routines give kids a sense of safety, help them learn self control, and help set them up for successful learning. Although things don’t always go as planned when kids are involved, this is our routine.
7:30- With the super strict sleep routine we have been using to get McKenna on a sleep schedule, the kids are usually waking up on their own about this time. Since this is the last year Lexi wont be in school, I like to take our time waking up, discussing the dreams we had, sing a good morning song, talk about the sunrise etc.
8:00-Breakfast time. I try to do my best to keep with the “fresh is best” mind frame for breakfast, but its not always realistic on days when there is a lot to get done. Lexi LOVES fruit (shes def my child!), applesauce, oatmeal, and recently I have been cooking diced potatoes with bell peppers & onion for breakfast.
8:30- “Learning time”. During this time I do a pretend preschool circle time routine. I have a calendar and a weather chart that we use. We sing songs about the days of the week, months of the year, the weather & the 4 seasons. (This also helps me keep track of what day it is ha!) After that I usually pick a specific topic to talk about and we read a book based on that topic. For August we are talking about, going to school, routines at school, rules that schools have, what to expect when she goes to school, feeling/emotions etc. September will be about the season of fall/apples etc. Let me know if you would like some ideas of topics you can discuss with your toddler. I would be more than happy to help!
9:00- Play time. This is when I usually let her just play with the toys in her play room while I get dressed myself and McKenna dressed for the day.
10:00- I usually leave this time open in case I need to run errands, if it’s a day where I don’t have anywhere I need to go, we will go outside and play in the sandbox, the backyard, the park etc. Some type of activity OUTSIDE! If I do have errands scheduled, I will go during this time so I can get back home before nap. Then we just change our outside time to the evening hours when it isn’t so hot.
12:00-1:00 Lunch/nap: During this time I usually fix lunch or if I am out, I will pick up something. My favorite places to grab something quick are Chick-fil-a, Chicken Salad Chick, and Honeybaked Ham! By 1 I usually likes to have both girls down for a nap because I don’t like them to sleep past 3-3:30.
3:00 Snack time: When the girls wake up from their nap Lexi usually eats an afternoon snack. I try to keep this semi healthy, but every now and then I will let her have a “sweet treat”. Cheese and crackers, apple sauce, bell pepper (she LOVES the yellow ones), avocado, and she lives just eating a fresh tomato.
5:00 Play: I usually just let her play in her playroom or I try to encourage her to do some type of art. That can be anything from cutting, play dough, fingerpainting, water colors, drawing pictures, gluing (with glue sticks) etc. I have a little table set up in our kitchen for her to sit at while I cook dinner.
6:30 Dinner: I don’t always get dinner finished by 6:30. Actually, I RARELY ever have dinner completely done and on the table by 6:30 but I give myself an “A” for effort. Haha! Im writing this so I can put it out there and the world and hope that I can consistently make this happen lol! BUT, with that being said, I TRRRYYY to have dinner done as close to 6:30 as possible, then once we eat we start the whole process of bath time, story time and….
8:30: BED TIME!
I really loved the schedule I had when I was teaching so I try to keep it similar to that schedule & it has been working well for us! Of course this is real life & in real life, when you involve kids, things don’t always go as planned. Every single day does not look like this, but this schedule is what we aim for! What about you? What are some of the routines your family has? I would love to hear some ideas of things you do with your family and/or advice on things you have learned using routines in your life. Leave a comment below and let me know!
**Thanks to Heidi Bowers Photography for capturing these impromptu family pics for us! If anyone is looking for a photographer she is fantastic!! You can contact their studio at (985) 892-0244.