Highlights from Parent Connect

Children thrive on structure and predictability. Consistent routines for getting ready for the day, meals, winding down and going to bed provide comfort and a sense of safety for young children. When children know what to expect and what is expected of them, it often leads to better behavior and cooperation. Here are some snippets from our conversation at Parent Connect.

Visuals are a great way to communicate schedules and routines to little ones.
One parent shared about using a visual calendar to help their child know what was happening that week and feel less anxious. For example, Monday has a picture of school, Tuesday picture of home, Wednesday school, Thursday swim lessons, Friday school. Saturday park, Sunday Grandma’s house. You can also use the classroom calendar with your child to show them what to expect at school that day.

At WWP we also use visual schedules so the children know what the routine is for that part of the day. At home you could have one that shows what needs to be done to start the day (wake up, make bed, eat, brush teeth, wash face/hands, get dressed, etc).

Another parent shared that they just got a visual timer to show their child how much time they have until a transition, like until clean up time or time to leave the house. One family uses a clock/night light in their child’s room that turns green when it’s morning and they are able to get out of bed, rather than wanting to get up at 4:00 AM.

Visual timers can be found at Lakeshore Learning Store or Amazon

A parent asked for ideas about when and how other families use allowance with their children and if it’s connected with chores. Some thoughts:

Everyone in the family, even young children, pitch in with chores because it’s part of our responsibility as a family and we want our children to learn that everyone can help.
Young children can help with chores like, picking up toys, carrying their dishes to the counter, and matching socks. For more ideas see “Big Helpers - Big Jobs” WWP Family Buzz 10/23/23.
Allowance is a set amount of money and is split into three categories: save, share and spend.
For older kids - if they want to do a big chore, above and beyond their regular chores, they’ll get paid for that.

For more ideas about family routines check out:

https://www.pbs.org/parents/routines Several great articles on this link, including “10 Ideas for Calm Morning Routine”

https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/creating-routines-for-love-and-learning/

Schedules & Routines: Predictability Brings Peace

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