How to Make a Family Routine
If you feel like your family doesn’t spend enough time doing fun things together or that certain times of day leave you with not enough time and too much to do, creating a family routine might be the solution. A good routine is predictable, well-planned and regular, but this doesn’t mean spontaneity needs to be outlawed in your home. The best routine has a little flexibility built in so it becomes a way of better interacting with each other instead of regimenting every second of your family’s day.
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Instructions
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Create a chart that segments each day of the week into time slots. This can be done on a computer or by hand on a piece of paper.
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Fill in all the things that have to be done at specific times, such as school hours for your children, extracurricular activities, work hours for the adults in the family and transportation time between activities.
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Fill in specific household chores and personal tasks, such as taking showers, brushing teeth and your children’s bedtimes. You can also schedule homework time, although this may vary by day depending on how much homework each child has. Schedule family meals and physical activities, as well. If you have a particular habit you’d like family members to develop, put this on the schedule, too. For example, you could include brushing teeth after each family meal as a way of encouraging this behavior.
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Print out a list or checklist of the specific steps of any part of your routine that could be difficult to remember. This is especially important for young children, since they might not consistently follow all of the steps without guidance. An example of this would be to print a bedtime routine list with the activities: take a bath, change into pajamas, set out clothes for tomorrow morning, read a book with daddy, turn off the lights and fall asleep.
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Schedule fun family time every day. Enjoying fun activities together can create a stronger family bond and give kids something to look forward so they won't view the schedule as something with no rewards. This could include playing together in the backyard, instituting a family game night, or going on trips to a local park or museum together.
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Tips & Warnings
Revise your schedule every few months or years as your children get older and their needs and personal schedules change.
Older children can help plan the family routine, which makes them feel like valuable members of the family and gives them a sense of control over their own daily activities.
References
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