The Importance of Schedules

Have you ever made the slightest change in your toddler’s routine or schedule and it caused all-out havoc? Humans, especially the youngest of them, are creatures of habit and tend to benefit greatly from routine. So, when that routine, whether intentional or by default, gets interrupted, children can feel chaotic and unsure.

Experts agree that routines and schedules are important to maintaining a sense of calm while experiencing rapid changes in their development across a multitude of avenues. First, in order to better understand, let’s differentiate between how I’m using the two terms: 

• Schedules: The overall flow of the day, often broken down into hours. For instance, your family may always eat dinner at 6pm. 

• Routines: Specific ations taken at various times throughout the day. For instance, your family may have a bedtime routine of brush teeth, bath, book, song.

As a Montessori school, OCMS ensures that children experience consistency in their environment and in their schedules. But, what about at home? Does your toddler need routines at home?

Well, the truthful answer is that only you can answer this question. You know your children best. You also have a variety of factors to consider when creating a schedule, so you should always do what’s best for your family. Remember that among numerous other skills, children are highly adaptable and can differentiate between home and school routines. But for the sake of this article, let’s talk about the vast majority of children who flourish with routines.

When sleep times (both nap and bed) are consistent, children adjust to this schedule and naturally begin to feel tired at the scheduled times. This also works with consistent bedtime routines (discussed below). 

Similarly, when children have consistent meal times (larger meals and snacks), they are able to anticipate and expect that their nutritional needs will be met. And again, meal time routines help signal to your child that a meal is coming.

It’s equally important not to be too rigid as this may stifle your child and keep them from actually getting their needs met. So, if your child wakes up cranky and wants to sleep a little longer or sleeps a little longer during nap, don’t stress. It’s never a wrong decision to give your child what they need (not to be confused with giving them what they want!). With all of this in mind, how do you find balance?

Schedules 

When creating a schedule for your toddler, you will want to first look at how your household usually runs. For most, there’s usually an underlying schedule and expectations that already exist.  Are they usually looking for a snack at a certain point of the day? Do you have other children to consider? For example, my youngest likes to wait and eat snack with her siblings when they return home from school. 

You may also consider: does your little one take long naps or sleep extra long at night? How does your work schedule play a role in the schedule? I once read about a parent who worked nights, so she and her daughter went to bed after 10pm, but didn’t wake until after 9am. 

Above all, do what is best for your family. I’ve included a sample schedule for you to begin thinking about the process. If you’d like to know more about how to fill those “play” times, let me know in the comments and I’d be happy to add that to my blog posts. 

Routines

Routines work very similarly to schedules, but on a smaller scale. Oftentimes, folks have routines for leaving the house, meals times, sleep times, and sometimes even potty breaks or bath times! 

And, just like with creating a schedule, you will want to first take of how you currently conduct activities in your home. For example, do you send your child to the potty before putting on their shoes and leaving the house? Do you ask your little one to help you set the table before meal time? If so, you are already creating routines. Just remember, if it’s not natural to you and your family dynamic, you may not want to include it. 

So, what can these routines look like? Once again, if you’d like me to dig deeper into routines for a certain time of day, please let me know!

Until then, trust yourself - none of us were given a manual!