Today, I am collaborating with Amanda Tallent from The Zebra to talk about morning and evening routines. Having a consistent routine will definitely set your kids up for success. Predictable routines that work will help you, the busy parent as well. Amanda Tallent generously offered to share her morning and evening routine printables with my readers. If you want to create a new morning or evening routine for your children and don’t know where to start, keep reading for some tips and don’t forget to grab these free resources before you leave!
Before we get to the tips and tricks, I want to introduce Amanda. Amanda Tallent is a content creator for The Zebra and develops helpful resources for families. Her passion for creative writing has led her to cover unique topics ranging from business to lifestyle. She calls Austin, TX home and enjoys crafting, decorating and traveling in her spare time.
Time goes by quickly and as our kids grow older, they learn new skills each and every day. With new life skills, comes more advanced communication and even a bit of responsibility. No matter what age your child or children might be, there are simple ways to teach valuable skills that grow their independence.
Establishing a routine can be very beneficial for kids of any age. Knowing what expectations are and how to handle a schedule helps set them up for success. From making their bed to picking up their toys, teaching these easy habits can pay off later.
To help encourage your kids in the morning or when getting ready for bed, The Zebra created some printable routine checklists that show common tasks like brushing teeth and getting dressed. To use these printables each day, you can slip them into a pocket protector and use dry erase markers to check off each item.
Rosebud’s Evening Routine
Now that Rosebud is going to preschool it’s more important than ever that I create a consistent evening routine. Since preschool is new for her and she doesn’t attend everyday, I have some flexibility in our routines, but I try to stay as consistent as possible. Here’s our basic afternoon/evening routine.
When I get home from work, we play for 1-2 hours depending on what I’m making for dinner. If the meal involves more preparation, we have less time to play. While I make dinner, she’s either helping me in the kitchen, playing with a sensory bin or having a bit of screen time. I serve dinner between 5 and 6 O’Clock. There are some days when she’s hungry by 4:30, so I may start dinner a little earlier. Since my shift ends in the afternoon, my schedule allows for this.
Rosebud’s Evening Schedule
6 O’Clock: Play time.
6:45: Clean up toys.
I clean up the kitchen, feed the cat and prepare Rosebud’s backpack for the next morning.7:00 Bath time.
Put on pajamas.
Brush teeth.
7:30 Story time.
7:45 Bedtime.
I try to stick to this general schedule, but everything depends on how much work I have to do around the house and what Rosebud and I feel like doing. Sometimes, we skip bath time if Rosebud doesn’t need one. This gives her a bit more play time. Other days, we go out to play after dinner if it was too hot earlier in the day. Rosebud’s not a big fan of the hot weather, so she prefers to go outside later. Outdoor play is important, so everything else on the schedule may get pushed back. Just because bedtime is around 7:45, Rosebud almost never falls asleep that early. She likes me to snuggle with her after stories and I stay with her until she falls asleep. She’s usually asleep by 8:30. I bring a pair of earbuds and listen to an audio book or podcast. I’ve found it’s the only thing that doesn’t keep her awake.
You may have to do a lot of trial and error before you find a routine that works for you. The thing I’ve had to adjust most often is bedtime. Rosebud has always been a night owl, so, I’ve always struggled with getting her to sleep. As we all know, sleep is so important. It can make or break the next day.
Morning Routines
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that morning routines are a challenge for me. I’ve never been a morning person. I like my sleep and used to constantly hit the snooze button. Since I’ve moved my workouts to the morning, I’ve been better about getting up on time. My biggest challenge is fitting everything in without feeling rushed. However, here are some tips that have helped me.
- 1. Prepare what you can the night before. Whether it be lunch or your child’s backpack, it saves time to have it ready.
- 2. Get up a little earlier than normal. I moved my wake up time to 5:30. This gives me an extra half hour to exercise and spend a few minutes working on smaller blog tasks.
- 3. Avoid hitting the snooze button and get up when the alarm goes off. If you fall back to sleep, you’ll feel worse.
- 4. Eat a decent breakfast. Even if it’s just a smoothy, it’ll give you some energy.
- 5. Have your children help with morning tasks if possible. Since Rosebud gets dressed by herself now, I give her her clothes and have her get dressed while I’m doing something else. Little things like this can not only save time, but will help children feel more confident in mastering these skills.
Our Morning Routine
5:30 Wake up.
Do small blog tasks and exercise.
6:00 Shower and get dressed
7:00 Wake up time for Rosebud.
This varies. If she wakes up earlier, it messes with my routine a bit. She either plays with toys while I’m in the shower or watches something on the iPad.
7:05 Rosebud gets dressed.
7:10 Breakfast
7:30 Hair and makeup for me. Rosebud brushes teeth and hair.
7:45 Packing anything we need that wasn’t packed the night before. If I’m making a sandwich, I make it in the morning. If I have a meal that I will have to warm up, I prepare that the night before. I check Rosebud’s backpack.
8:00 Feed the cat.
Then catch up on anything that needs to be done so we can get out the door on time. My routine never runs like clock work, but I can say it’s gotten so much better in the past year.
Printables
To help you with your routines, Amanda has created these free morning and evening routine printables that I have for you today. These printables can help the whole family stay on track and save everyone lots of time and energy by knowing what needs to be done and when. If your evening routine is a challenge or if your morning routine is a nightmare, these printables are definitely for you!
What tips and tricks do you use to make your morning or evening routines successful? Tell me in the comments. Also, don’t forget to visit Amanda over at The Zebra where there are many more wonderful resources for families!