Happiness is Just a Routine Away!

Now that we are in the full swing of summer, and you have had your fill of the kids staying up late and sleeping late in the morning, it’s time to implement a daily routine!

Helping your child develop a routine of predictable, daily disciplines prepares your child to be victorious on the battlefield of life and puts him or her in a better mood and keeps them even-tempered. Along with establishing good habits, developing routines for accomplishing necessary daily disciplines is the only way your child can predictably regulate their behaviors.  Children with sensory issues especially need a lot of assistance with their daily routines and schedules (especially visual schedules like the one above) are the key. For younger children, visual schedules at home help to anchor a child’s day, help everyone focused, and they prevent melt-downs. 

As your child ages, discuss with him or her what behaviors and habits you want to implement and begin with a morning routine. It can be difficult to predict what will occur in the middle of your summer days, but you can almost always control how the day starts and ends. Create a list of activities you wish to accomplish first thing each morning and at the end of each day and post it for everyone to see. As each activity is accomplished, have them check them off the list. This is a key component, for what gets tracked, gets done! Do this with your child for twenty-one days non-stop to effectively create a habit and they will be on their way to success!