Transitioning from caring for a baby to engaging with young kids can be a hard change. I’m a stay-at-home mom with three kids under the age of 5 and I often struggle to come up with ideas about how to entertain my kids and teach them new things. I’ve found simple routines are helpful to schedule your day so kids know what to expect when they wake up. Just like babies have a feeding and napping schedule, kids benefit from routines for eating, playing, learning how to sit still, practicing following directions, and growing their attention spans. I’m excited to share my family routine tips that help create happier days.
1. Flexible Daily Schedule
Our daily schedule is broken into 6 sections:
Breakfast
Structured Play
Lunch
Quiet Time
Free Play
Dinner/Bed
Our daily family routine is very flexible so we can still run to the store after Quiet Time or visit a friend after breakfast. On days that are free of commitments, I try to implement our simple schedule for kids!
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Morning Structured Play: This could be any activity that I do with the kids. We love playing with homemade play dough, making colorful glitter slime, and practicing the alphabet. We have reading time together so the kids can practice sitting quietly and my girls love to color and make simple paper crafts. The important element to Structured Play is that I control which activities we do and the kids practice following directions, sharing, and having cheerful attitudes.
2. Regular Meal Times
It’s helpful if your kids know when lunch is going to be so they aren’t constantly asking for snacks. When we do have snacks the kids often enjoy Veggie Straws or fresh fruit and I try to give my kids a variety of healthy foods for lunch. Eating dinner together as a family is also a special part of the day.
Related Post: Cute Food Shapes and Lunch Ideas »
3. Quiet Time After Lunch
Kids often need some down time to nap or play quietly. My babies nap after lunch and my preschooler plays quietly on her bed or reads a book. She often falls asleep as well. Quiet Time is important for kids to rest and for mom to have a segment of time to herself during the day.
Cozy Nap Time Corner: My girls like to make a nap time corner with their cozy blankets and stuffed animals. This beautiful Coco & Kiwi mini tassel throw is a gorgeous blanket to cuddle up with and it also adds sophistication to the living room when draped over the couch. This tassel throw immediately became my daughter’s favorite and she loves the rust colored tassels. We use it for room decor, living room picnics, and as a cuddle blanket for warm weather naps. A tassel throw is a beautiful living room must-have and you can enter to win one of these gorgeous tassel throws below!
4. Planned Free Play
After quiet time the kids can play in the backyard, watch a show, or sometimes we run errands or play with friends. This part of the day is very flexible and goes a lot more smoothly if the kids haven’t been doing whatever they wanted all day long. I’ve found kids with no structure easily get very bored by the afternoon.
5. Scheduled Play Dates
My kids love being social so we try to have a play date at least every other week. We also go to parks to see friends. Play dates don’t have to be painful or awkward with moms you hardly know. My kids generally hang out with my own friends’ kids, not the other way around. It’s also helpful to have extended family in town; cousins who are close in age often become natural friends. Play dates are also a great way to get to know another mom who you don’t know as well but want to!
Mommy life can be simpler if you just create a daily schedule for your family. What is your best family routine tip?
Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!
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Yes this is very helpful my kids are off track and need to get things back together
Routines are the reason I kept my sanity when raising my children. Your routine schedule sounds great!
Wow! Great ideas!
My favorite part of getting ready for baby is getting new clothes, cloth diapers and all the goodies together for baby!
i wishes
I absolutely love the Coco & Kiwi items. Their attention to detail is amazing and all their items turn out to be so amazin. I once bought a keychain that I ended up dropping and breaking within 2 days of getting & they were so kind to replace it for… Read more »
What great ideas
Flexibility and having a routine always helps. 🙂
I absolutely love these ideas!
I love your idea for quiet time! My toddler does not like nap time anymore!
Great post! I don’t have children, but I still like reading these.. I feel like I’m just preparing myself haha!!
NAP TIME, it helps us all!
Fantastic article!
In order to keep any kind of routine, we have to stick to bedtime like it’s our JOB- for both parents’ and kids’ sake
Simple but important tips! Mompreneurs on our free career networking platform for career women often suffer from managing work and little kids. This would be a great share!
As we move into the no-nap zone of life, I am beginning to see a little more value in structure and routines. Thanks for sharing your day. I definitely took some inspiration and might consider adding little more of a routine to my laid back parenting style
Keep a routine but be flexible enough to alter it as the child grows. Discipline is a must.
Great tips! My kids are 5 and we still go over our weekly and daily schedules 🙂
My best tip would be to keep with the routine and try not to stray too far from it – it wreaks havoc when you do!
my tip for family is to listen to one another.
Such sweet pics of your kiddos! I agree that a routine makes the day run so smoothly, even if it is just a loose structure. One thing I’ve learned over the years is to try to wake up at the same time every day. Now that my kids are older… Read more »
I love the tassel balls on the blankets
All good ideas. I also implement quiet time before bed. We all need to settle down and get ready for bedtime routine
Everyone has a role in clean up; from trash to dishes and putting things away.
Our best family routine is sticking to the routine, ha. Go to bed around same time, rise at same time, eat meals and bathe at around same times, etc. People think routines are boring but they keep us sane.
Make lunches and snacks for the week on Monday. Then just label them for each day!
Meh, I’m not from US, so I can’t join the giveaway. But love how photogenic and happy your girl is! Can’t wait to see her grow up!
I think having a designated snack time 2x a day helps keep my little ones happy and then they are hungry when it comes to mealtime.
wow amzing for my 2 niece…
Great tips and giveaway! The blanket is really pretty. I like the design.
I don’t have kids, but this sounds like a great routine for them! If I did – it sounds like something structured, yet with some freedom that would do them well!
Great post!! And the kids was so cute!!
You have such beautiful kids. I do not have any kids but I know this scheduled is something easy to follow. You go super mom.
Such a simple yet effective schedule! And your kids are just too stinking cute! 🙂
Great post! I wish I’d read this my kids were younger. Keeping kids engaged is harder than people think!
I don’t have kids, but this sounds like a really good idea.
I don’t have kids (yet), but I’m bookmarking this post for when I do!
Having a schedule is always healthy I believe. It fosters discipline
Routine is so helpful! My kids are (typically) happier and know what to expect. We especially love our evening singing to God time. 🙂
We absolutely have to have Quiet Time! No matter the age of the child, (mine are 2, 4, 6 and 3 wks) a nap or Quiet Time every day is essential for everyone’s sanity! Books are our go-to for the older two while the younger two nap.
For meals, I let my daughter help make our food, she s much more likely to eat it if she helps and gets to pick it out.
I really like this! This feels like a doable schedule! I also want to start implementing the structured play time with my one year old- I do feel that he is starting to need to new activities to get into!