By familylivingtoday.com

We all know that kids are at their best when they are on a schedule and doing their usual thing. However, getting them on a schedule and building a routine that works for them and for you can be difficult. Here are some tips to help you build a routine for your kids that works.

Set Routines and Stick to Them
Setting a routine for bedtime will not only help your child be more organized, but it is also likely to help them to sleep better and thus be happier and healthier. Routines help the body to work on muscle memory so that the mind can relax, which is particularly helpful at bedtime.

In order to make your routine as useful as possible, work into it slowly and early. Starting a few weeks before the start of school will help your kids to have it down by the time they really need it to work. This will also give you time to adjust and perfect it for each of your children if you have more than one.

Plan & Prep Healthy Lunches Ahead of Time
One of the most onerous tasks in any parent’s life is prepping lunches. You can do this yourself ahead of time whenever you’ve got a spare block of time. This can help you to save yourself a lot of headaches when you realize that you have no time and you have no food in the house to feed your children the next day.

You can even get your kids involved in the meal prep in age-appropriate ways to teach them the basics of the kitchen skills they will need as an adult. This is up to you to help them/

Create a Checklist
If your kids have trouble remembering what they’ve done in their routine, creating a large reusable checklist on a whiteboard or poster can help everyone out. It helps you to know what’s been done and helps your kids to have a visual reminder of what they need to do. There are all sorts of options on Pinterest and other mom-focused blogs of what creations have worked for their kids to give you some pointers.

Leave Time for Breaks
Routines are important but most of the time they don’t need to be completed in a specific time frame. If your routine is a long one, make sure to leave time for breaks or distractions so that your kids don’t feel rushed and stressed out by the routine that is supposed to be making all of your lives easier. Breaks are imperative to relaxation, which is the eventual goal of every routine.

If you find that your kids are having trouble sticking to a routine, figure out where in the process they are getting distracted and see what it is that’s causing them so much trouble. You might need to get more involved in the routine when your kids need more help or move things around to avoid the problem areas. Don’t be afraid to revamp it when you need to.