Helpful Tip Tuesday: Routines

Routines 

*To keep you child's morning and evening routine "handy," try this. Trace your hand on two pieces of construction paper, a yellow piece for the morning and a blue piece for the bedtime routine. On each finger, write one thing that needs to be accomplished. Write the first thing to be done on the thumb, for instance, Make your bed. Once your child completes this first task, she gives you a "thumbs-up" and proceeds with the rest: Get dressed, Eat breakfast, Brush teeth, and Morning devotions. Upon closing her children's Bible, she gives you a "high-five" to indicate that her morning routine is complete. This is repeated in the evening for the nighttime routine. The only difference is, instead of ending with a "high five," you put your "fives" together for bedtime prayer.

* We wanted to establish a daily routine for our children while they were still little. The biggest obstacle we faced was the fact that they couldn't read the fancy chart I had made. So, I asked their grandfather to draw pictures illustrating the task that was to be done next to a picture of what the clock would look like at that time.

* A similar idea is to create a daily planner by taking a picture of your child engaged in the activity listed on the schedule, as well as a picture of the clock at that time. Buy a small photo album and put in the pairs of pictures, one page per pair, in the order in which the tasks are to be accomplished throughout the day. First thing in the morning, the child opens her daily planner, does the first task, and then turns the page. The last page has a picture of the child in bed with a snapshot of his or her bedtime on the clock.

* Your morning routine could include filling six sippy cups each morning for each child placing them on the lowest shelf in the fridge. You can fill two with milk, two with juice, and two with water. This is so much easier than pouring drinks all day long, it cuts down on your "waitressing" job, and it ensures that your kids get a healthy balance of liquids every day.

Taken from the Book: Creative Correction, pg. 324-325