Why routines matter
By: Katherine Tredinnick, Research and Content at Devie
Experts from around the world seem to agree that an important way to support yourself and your little one during this time of social distancing is having and sticking to a daily routine. But establishing a routine with young children can be difficult, if not impossible! We looked into why routines are important, especially in these times, and came up with a low-maintenance routine that families can try with their little ones.
Why are routines good for me?
Recently, an article was published by the New York Times in which Scott Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut who spent almost a year on the International Space Station, encouraged people to stick to a daily schedule while isolating. In Kelly’s words, “you will find maintaining a plan will help you and your family adjust to a different work and home life environment.”
The research tells us that he’s onto something! Routines can help you feel in control during these uncertain times. They can also help you make time to connect with friends and loved ones, at a time when it’s easy to feel isolated. Importantly routines can make you feel accomplished at the end of the day!
Why are routines good for my little one?
Routines help children to predict what comes next, and that makes them feel more secure and safe. When there are significant changes to your little one’s life, like moving house, starting school, or staying indoors and isolated, familiar routines can help ease the transition. Routines can even help young children recognise patterns and sequences- an important early math skill!
How do I start a routine? What should be included in it?
We’ve attempted to answer these questions for you by creating a sample daily schedule (pictured on the left). Active time, creative time and brain- building time are three of the essential components that we think are important to include in your day!
It’s okay to go off-schedule sometimes!
All that being said, now is not a time to be too harsh on yourself! Let’s be honest, in a house with young children, things will not always go to plan! Show yourself some kindness in these tough times especially when days do not run as smoothly as what you had in mind. To those of you who have always enjoyed routines, we encourage you to stick to your daily schedules, making the necessary adaptations that your home situation may require. To those totally new to routine — keep it simple and allow room for those inevitable “off-schedule” moments.
Make sure to download Devie for free on iOS or Android and stay tuned for the Home Learning Programme for research-based daily activities to include in your routine.
Devie’s Home Learning Series
In these unprecedented and immensely difficult times, we know that parenting can feel tougher than ever before! There have been a few common questions on the minds of parents in our community, including:
- How much screen time is appropriate for my little ones?
- Should my family be trying to stick to some sort of routine?
- How do I, as a parent, stay calm and present in these tough times?
- How do I keep my family active during the lockdown?
- How do I get my work done with my little one at home all day?
In response to these questions, we created the Home Learning Programme to keep your little ones happy and learning at home during the lockdown. Through this programme, Devie sends you daily learning activities designed to support your little one’s social emotional, language, health, early literacy, and early math development, and your own wellbeing. Download Devie for free on iOS or Android to try the programme when it launches this week.
We’re also blogging about each of these topics this week to provide research-based, non-judgmental recommendations to help during these tough times.
Remember awesome parents, we are all in this together ❤
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