Let's Talk Toddler Schedules
Toddlers can be so wonderful and so difficult. Life can be hard when you're three. 😜 Toddlers are learning so many new skills and with these new skills comes independence. Sometimes, it is great to give your kids this independence, but other times we need to intervene as parents. This can lead to upset toddlers and tantrums.
One thing I’ve found to be super helpful in regulating tantrums and behavior issues is having a very flexible, but predictable, schedule each day! This allows your kids to know what to expect thus giving them a sense of security and stability. It’s also helpful when a change needs to be made because you can tell your child, “Normally we read books after lunch, but today we are going to _____ instead!” Now don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not perfectly consistent in what we do each day, but that is why I prefer having a general routine that we follow. We may mix it up every now and again, but I try to do the same activities around the same time each day. I also allow my child independence within the walls of the schedule. I keep our general routine on our refrigerator so my kids can see it, further helping create that sense of stability. They know what to expect and can plan what they want to do during their next block of time in the schedule.
This is the routine we try to roughly follow:
BREAKFAST
ACTIVITY (self-start so I can get ready!!)
OUTSIDE TIME (so we don't go crazy 😅)
ERRANDS
LUNCH
BOOKS
QUIET TIME
FREE PLAY/TV (while I get dinner ready)
DINNER
SHOWER
BOOKS
BED
Click here to get a downloadable schedule to fill in with your routine and hang for your kids to see each day! Try it this week and see if it makes a difference!