Daily Routines

I think you are doing great!! I think a schedule is great, but so if flexibility. With summer coming, think about "park time" too!!

deffinately chores. make it fun, like it's a game. Cleaning will take longer but you won't have to worry about extra time

I think that with being a sahm it is good to get the kids out of the house and interacting with other kids as well as you with other parents. I would look at your local YMCA or recreation center for playgroups or sports it will get them exercise and I have found that it elps so much to have them play with other children. As for the chores I wouldt give them too much at this age. Picking up toys and cleaning their own messes are a good idea but kids still need to be kids.

I'm a mom of 3 boys and you are already doing way more than I do. I think you'll inspire me. One thing I think is a 'good thing' is going outside with the boys and getting fresh air. Even a short walk up and down the block is refreshing for the soul. Maybe a weekly play group would be nice to add. I use to go to the Parenting Place regularly for years and found great friends from it. If you're in the Boulder area or nearby, check it out.
Keep up the good work....

My kids are older now (11 & 13) and I wish I had kept up w/ our daily routines a couple more yrs!!! They LOVE structure! :( Anyway, they loved "helping" w/ laundry---folding washcloths and matching socks. (and I never re-did anything they did in front of them!!!) We also, during craft time, made an effort to color/draw pic's for grandma & grandpa to put in the mail a couple times a month. (didn't need much coaxing there!) We didn't live too far from the public library, so went at least once a wk to ck out new books and play. Put on some music and dance around the house w/ a dustcloth!! Easy stuff that means so much! It sounds like you are a great mom! D.

I hope you don't mind a grandmother responding! :) If I were you, I wouldn't worry about them doing other things of any kind ... just let them play UNstructured so they can make more use of their own imaginations. You sound like a super wonderful mom who really cares....which is great!

I think being a stay at home mom is the greatest job in the world ... Just don't over structure your children ... just Let Them Be at times so they don't become overly dependant upon being told what to do or feel obligated to do this or that ... As I have heard so often ... just let them be children. Big empty cardboard boxes are some of the best toys ever 'made!' :)

If at all possible include some time for exercise Go outdoors. Even when the weather is bad outdoor time is important. Encourage them to use their outdoor voices. Children need opportunities to run, climb, tumble, kick a ball and shout.
As you do the housework think of where you could let them help. Put a little water in a small spray bottle and give them a paper towel. Let them wash something. Be specific. When you set the table let them put the spoons next to the plates. Get mini laundry basket and let them help with the laundry. Young children actually enjoy sorting socks.

Hi there. I too am from Laurel and a mother of 2 children. A 3 yr old boy and a 10 mo old boy. One thing I find so helpful is having scheduled play dates with other moms and their children. We like to go on walks, go to the park and have a picnic, etc.. there are lots of fun things to do that involve your kids and get you a little adult conversation as well. My 3 yr old absolutely loves getting together with friends. I think it is good having the interaction with other kids since mine do not go to a daycare. Good luck!!

It sounds like you are doing a great job. Your kids are a little young for "chores." I think cleaning up toys is plenty at this point in time. As far as a daily schedule goes... I think it's good to have a routine... but sometimes we overschedule. Kids need time to just be a kid. But if YOU are bored with the schedule (which is what happens to me), then do things YOU are interested in. I like dancing with my kids. Also, playing music together is fun. Baking together is good. I like to get OUT of the house. Going for walks, bike rides, having picnics, swimming, library, treasure hunting at thrift stores, ...

It sounds like you are doing great. It takes a lot of organization to keep a routine like that, but it is so good for your kids. I have been trying to establish a routine as well and part of it is having "outside time". In the winter, this might just be 5-10 minutes outside but now we are going on a walk every day. In 1 week I have already lost 2 pounds and the kids are so much more well behaved.

I too am trying to develop daily routines better. An idea a friend and I came up with is using a visual system. We both worked with Autistic children and it is how we taught them to communicate. While our kids are not autistic, I think that visual and tactile systems work great with young kids. Anyways, the concept is you either take pictures of activities that you do...reading/playing/library/park/make dinner/craft ect. Or you can get pictures from www.pecs.com Then you laminate and put velcro on the back. you then get a poster board and put make a box (with marker) for each picture. I will probably have them going from top to bottom.

Then in the morning you tell your kids...okay let's make our schedule for today. Together you pick out the pictures and put them in order. It teaches them pre-time...like first we can do this before we can do that ect. And it gives them that structure so they are not wondering what is going on next. Plus if you need to change something...just change the picture. Just an idea!

As far as chores...a good first chore is to empty the silverware in the dishwasher (after you've taken out the knives of course.) My daughter is 2 and she puts them in the silverware drawer and then I just organize them after. Also, since you have a dog...feeding the dog would be a great chore they could do. And putting it in the schedule would make it an early habit for them. Hope this helps!!

My kids love to do dishes, too! They look for them, help put them in the dishwasher. Setting the table, etc. We also have set snack time, too. My 2 year old loves to do the dishes. He also loves to do laundry and can correctly identify who's clothes belong to whom.

another mom just posted a question like this... click on my name(N. H) and then "view all" go through my posts and you will find my response to a daily routine question. then click on the posts title and you will be able to see the other moms responses (i think) or you can go through them in requests and responses hope this helps if you can't find it let me know and i will look too

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job. I agree with the other post completely. On tip for the 3 1/2 year old. They are old enough to start helping with picking out their clothes and maybe help with the baby's clothes as well. If she is willing to help you will find that it comes in VERY handy when you are in a hurry and when she starts school. It is my belief that children need to be responsible for their selves when they are old enough. Now you are doing great with them picking up their rooms and toys. If you teach them to be responsible for their things you will find they are a huge help as they get older but NOT being a burden on the house work. Your daughter can clean up her meal time dishes by scrapping plates or bowls and putting them in the sink. Maybe she could pass out napkins or silverware for meal times as well. Making meals a family event makes the family feel like a family and life much less stressful on you. The children will have a learning curve that can be taxing but it is always worth the effort in the long run. Relax and make helping fun and appreciated.

I think that a routine is the best way for them to predict what is going to happen and then not be so uptight about it and resistant to the change. The times don't really have to be the same day to day, just the order....first it is playtime, then reading time, then lunch for example. But it is also not a good idea to be too structured because then if your routine is off because of a doctor's visit or something else then they might have a major melt down and get really cranky on you. Listen to the things that they want to do too. They are also old enough to start helping around the house with simple chores. Putting dirty clothing into a basket, or even into the washer, putting clothes away, dusting a table, pushing in chairs after dinner....any thing that they can do---it makes it easier when they are older.
I have 6 kids and I try to get them to help as much as I can. I start them while they are little going around the house with me and while I clean I give them little jobs to do that I can watch them. I teach them how to do the jobs and help them for a while, and then soon I am just watching then before I know it I can say---Go make your bed---and they will know what I expect of them and be able to do it by themselves. Just be consistent and things will work out.
J.

I raised 7 relatively normal children. With that many I didn't have time to establish much of a schedule beyond meals and bedtime. Don't be so structured that you lose sight of just having fun.
karelthemom

My kids are 5 and 3 and we have a sheet for each child hanging on the fridge. Instead of spelling out thier responsibilities, we draw pictures of each, for example: a picture of a bed means "make your bed", a toothbrush means "brush your teeth" and dishes and forks mean "put your dishes in the sink" etc. A sheet lasts one week and each time the task is completed for the day they get a checkmark (or a star). The reward can be sundaes at Sonic or 5 cents per checkmark at the end of the week. Just be sure to limit the amount of resonsibilities so that it is realistic for your children. Keep it to 4-6 tasks per day. Ours include: brush teeth, get dressed, make bed, dishes in sink, toys upstairs at the end of the day. Also, our kindergartener needs to complete one page of homework each night. I think you'll find that they are really proud of themselves for completing the tasks. It always helps to post things like this on the fridge, including "rules of the house" like saying please and thank-you, no hitting or biting, bedtime, etc. If it's posted, it's more "official" to the kids..."Look, it says right here...this is the rule"...

I am a mother of 4 kids, ages 10,8,5,2. For my youngest one I usually have her help me set the table for dinner and help me put away some clothes. They really like to help at this small age. It sounds like you are doing really good with your activities. I like to give my kids there own play time and a quiet time in the afternoon, if they dont take naps anymore. They all need time to themselves along with time spent with you. Anyways good luck and keep up the good work.