Why routines are suitable for children
Safety, belonging, and relationships
Routines can be part of an organized and predictable home environment, which helps children and teenagers feel safe, secure, and looked after. And predictable family life can also help children cope during developmental changes like puberty, or life events like the birth of a new child, divorce, illness, or a house move.
Skills and responsibility
Having chores as part of family routines helps children and teenagers develop a sense of responsibility and some basic skills like time management. These are skills children can use for life.
And when children can do their parts of the routine with less help or supervision from you, it also helps them become more independent.
Healthy habits
Routines can teach younger children healthy habits, like brushing their teeth, taking medicine regularly, exercising, or washing their hands after using the toilet.
This means that routines can be good for children’s health. For example, children who wash their hands more regularly might be less likely to get colds and other common illnesses.
Also, routines can reduce stress, and lower stress is good for children’s immune systems.
Why routines are suitable for parents
Routines take some effort to create. But once you’ve set them up, they have many benefits:
- When life is busy, routines can help you feel more organized and in control, which lowers your stress.
- Regular and consistent routines can help you feel like you’re doing a good job as a parent.
- Routines help your family get through your daily tasks more efficiently and free up time for other things.
- Routines often mean you don’t have to sort out disputes and make decisions. For example, if Sunday night is pizza night, no-one needs to argue about what’s for dinner.
What makes a good daily routine?
A good routine is one that suits your family. It also has three key features.
Well planned
In a good routine, everyone understands their roles, knows what they need to do and sees their roles as reasonable and fair. For example, your children know they take turns washing up and drying up each night after dinner. As children get older, they can have a say in planning routines.
Regular
Good routines become part of everyday family life. For example, you might all look forward to Sunday night barbecues with your children’s grandparents.
Predictable
In a good routine, things happen in the same order each time. Everyone knows what to expect for the day. For example, you always wash school uniforms on the weekend, so you know they’ll be ready for Monday morning.
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