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Add structure to you daily routine – create a schedule for your preschooler & toddler. Here’s how:
Due to the circumstances we are in globally, there are many children home from schools, parents home from work. The days are long. If you’re a parent in this position, you might have questions about what to do and how to provide daily structure for your toddlers while at home. Below are a few of my own personal tips and tricks for creating the perfect daily schedule for your preschoolers and providing structure for your toddlers at home. I have somewhat organically created this structure within our home. It keeps us all happy, helps us through transitions with ease, and makes the day go just fast enough without the stress or the rush. Check it out below.
But First, A Quick Note
First, friends, we are currently deep in the Covid-19 crisis. This crisis is one that could become a lengthy battle of both physical and mental health. As I scroll through social media, I am very encouraged by the number of people coming together to support, encourage, and love one another. Though we can no longer meet and see each other’s beautiful faces, I love that we have the tools and resources at our disposal to maintain social contact through technology.
Daily Schedule for Preschoolers Contd.
As you begin to find ways to create the perfect daily schedule for your preschoolers and toddlers, you may notice that I have NOT packed in too much in our daily routine. I don’t believe every minute needs to be planned. In fact, I strongly believe that packing in too much induces anxiety and robs us and our children from the fun and adventure of learning. This is also a principle we live by under normal circumstances (Covid-19 free).
We have never carted our child around from event to event. Rather, we have done our best to limit his outings to one a day, and not even everyday. We prioritize at home free, unstructured play. He absolutely loves playing with his own toys, and we love giving him time to do so. I also believe limiting activities and events to just one a day is in part why he is a joyful and relatively pleasant kid.
If you are interested in reading more about taking steps to facilitate joy and happiness in your children, check out this article by Time, How to Raise Happy Kids: 10 Steps Backed by Science. Step 8 in this article is all about free, unstructured play.
I also believe this is in part why he is a joyful and relatively pleasant kid. Below is a quick visual guide to a daily flexible structured schedule for your preschoolers. I have also added my commentary and extra tips and tricks below.
Early Mornings
Wake Up/Heart & Soul Time– A Crucial Component for Daily Schedule for Preschoolers
Immediately upon wake up, I personally have my Heart & Soul time with my son. Although we have been doing some form of this since he was about six months old, I cannot claim Heart & Soul time as my own genius idea. The idea came from the book, If I Have to Tell You One More Time… by Amy McCready. In short, the idea is to spend time with your children, individually for ten minutes, twice a day. By individually, I mean one child per one parent. During Heart & Soul time, the child gets to choose the activity and/or discussion, and the parent obliges. The results are the child feels empowered due to having the ability to decide. A stronger bond of trust is formed between parent and child. This leads to an increased willingness to obey when necessary and contribute to family obligations as an important member of the family.
Dress & Breakfast:
Pretty self-explanatory here. We don’t always do fancy, but sometimes we do. Lately, we have been taking our time with breakfast since we have no other obligations outside of home.
Then what?
Free Play-Essential to the Daily Schedule for Preschoolers
I truly believe this is essential for every young child, and should be included when creating a daily schedule for preschoolers. Not every moment needs to be planned. We let our child play freely, (and relatively unsupervised) while we get ourselves dressed and ready for the day. Free play also happens in between transitions periodically throughout the day. We let him play freely before and after dinner and while I am doing a quick household responsibility.
By now it is around mid morning. Find out what comes next in our structured scheduled.
Mid Mornings
Structured Play & Learning/Snack:
Depending on the age of your child, this will look different. If your child is school age and doing school work at home, this is the time for that. To provide more structure for toddlers, preschoolers, or a kindergartners during this time, hands-on and sensory learning activities at home is where you will want to focus your attention. Specifically for the preschoolers and kindergarteners, you will also want to focus on learning the alphabet, Let’s Play Numbers and related counting activities. You can also focus on the days of the week and the months of the year. Also, consider teaching about the weather and seasons too.
For some fun, simple activities to do in or around your home, read Seven Creative Activities for Toddlers. Check out my Facebook and Instagram page for more ideas on preschoolers learning through play and learning at home.
I am also teaching my little man the alphabet at home. With each letter, we do a number of fun games and activities in the following categories: Sensory, In the Community, In the Kitchen, In the Wild. We also read books, learn a song for each letter. Additionally, we memorize a nursery rhyme and Bible verse. He completes his weekly dough mats, and we practice tracing the letter in a variety of ways. Altogether, this takes up about one to two hours, and about three days a week per letter.
Early Afternoon
Lunch:
Nothing more to be said about lunch. However, read below for another very important piece you need to include in your daily structure.
Quiet Time– Another Necessity when Creating a Daily Schedule for Preschoolers
Quiet Time is another necessary component in a daily schedule for preschoolers, and for you.
You may be a stay at home parent with babies and toddlers. Or maybe due to present circumstances, you are currently at home with your children of any/all ages and trying to juggle work. Either way, quiet time is an absolute necessity if you want to keep your sanity. There are a variety of ways to implement a quiet time for each of your kids. Read the Five Steps to Successful Toddler Quiet Times.
Late Afternoon/Evening
Heart & Soul/Snack:
They have been playing quietly and alone for the last hour or two. Now they need some good bonding time with you. If you missed my introduction to Heart & Soul time, you can read about it above.
The day is winding down now. Let’s be sure our kids are too. Read below for some more tips and tricks in the daily structure.
Dinner:
In our home, I cook dinner. On a typical evening, dad takes this time to have his Heart & Soul time with our son. And the remainder of the time is just free play until dinner.
An Important Note about Media time, game time, and/or bedtime when Planning your Daily Schedule for your Preschoolers
- Media: Designated time generally for older kids and teenagers. We haven’t gotten to this age yet, but the way I imagine it will be when we do get there is: 1) Make sure any and all household responsibilities are completed first. 2) Be sure to set the limits and the expectations for media, and use it as an opportunity to wind down.
- Games: An opportunity to have some family fun before the day is over. My brother and sister-in-law do this occasionally after dinner, and the kids just love it! It is a special time dedicated to the whole family to interact and engage with one another.
- Bedtime: You probably know what your own routine is already, so get to it. Oh, and congratulations for making it through another long, hard day with those little hands and feet at home!
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