As human beings, young and senior, we can all greatly benefit from having daily routines integrated into our lives. But, why are routines important for children specifically? Because for children, routines serve a vital role in their social and emotional development. Like adults, children’s comfort and confidence increase with routines. Children crave predictability and familiarity in their everyday lives.
In a world of dealing with daily unknowns, having a consistent routine provides children with a sense of stillness and stability amidst the chaos. In this blog, we’ll explore why routines are important for children and easy ways parents can use routines to help their child develop into a well-rounded individual.
Why Do Children Need Routines?
Children grow up to be extremely fearful, and it makes sense as to why. Their lives consist of experiencing many firsts, which can be both scary and stressful for them. Something as simple as a new vegetable on their dinner plate or meeting a new person at daycare can incite a reaction. As you begin to understand the large number of unknowns that children face each day, you’ll grow empathy for their fears and understand why routines are important for children.
As parents, it’s our role to ensure our children’s sense of safety and security. But this doesn’t only include physical safety and security, such as looking both ways before crossing the street. It also means ensuring your children’s mental health, so they feel emotionally safe when new things are presented, safe when changes occur, and overall safe and secure in their environment.
So, how can parents achieve this sense of safety and security for their children?
The Importance of Routine for Children
Research proves that having a routine for your child, in part, allows your child to feel a greater sense of comfort and adaptability when they are presented with daily changes and challenges. When the foundation of a child’s life is made up of routines, they will feel more in control of their environment and emotions. This sense of control allows children to better self-regulate their feelings and behaviors when it’s time to handle change.
Children with developed routines have the mental space to better identify their feelings and then choose how to manage and communicate them. This skill is essential in preventing regular breakdowns, tantrums, and emotional episodes. And, it is also pivotal in developing maturity, self-awareness, and communication, all qualities that many people still struggle to achieve well into adulthood.
Life changes are unavoidable and largely out of our control. But, what we can control is the skills we have to cope with change. The stability that children benefit from when they have a well-established routine is why routines are so important for children and their emotional development.
Schedules vs. Routines: Why are Schedules and Routines Important in Early Childhood Education?
Parents often confuse needing a routine with having a schedule. Schedules and routines, though interrelated, are not the same thing. A routine relates to having a daily pattern by which your child lives. It can provide structure and order to their day, but it does not dictate exactly when things should be done – that is a schedule! While routines can be integrated into any lifestyle, schedules may be harder for families with diversified days.
What does a routine look like?
A routine is a recurring set of actions every day. It also includes familiarity with people and relationships.
There are many ways and moments throughout the day where you have the opportunity to incorporate a routine in your child’s life. It can be at nighttime, in the morning, during dinner, naptime, after school, etc. And, it can include everything from them cleaning their own room to setting the table, reading a book, or going for a walk. There are many ways and times throughout the day that your child can experience familiarity. There doesn’t need to be a routine for every moment and task in your child’s day, but regardless of your lifestyle, simple moments of consistency can greatly impact their development.
It’s common to assume that attending school is a regular part of your child’s routine. And in many ways, it is. However, during the school day, children are still faced with many unforeseen stressors and changes. From new subject content to new projects and assignments, schooling presents change over predictability. So after school, children will most likely crave a structured routine.
For example, a student may feel overwhelmed being assigned to a new partner during a class activity. However, when they arrive home, that student may find it comforting to perform a familiar task like setting the dining room table, something they do every night. Even after a chaotic day, ending it with their nighttime routine will help them wind down, decompress, and sleep. It is empowering to watch your child learn to manage their emotions optimally, and master handling their lives through routine.
How Traveling Families Can Integrate Routines?
Much of the population, and more specifically traveling families, hear the word “routine” and shy away from it. It’s because it’s commonly misunderstood that with a routine, your lifestyle cannot include adventure, travel, spontaneity, nor can it change.
Having a structured day seems highly impossible for families who live on-the-go. But it’s not!
Routines also indicate that children should be around familiar faces such as family members or friends, so they can be around people who behave in predictable ways. Just as actionable as routines are, building a routine from relationships creates peace in a time of chaos, familiarity amidst the unknown, and ultimately a deep sense of safety within an ever-changing life.
Having a routine doesn’t have to look monotonous or scheduled. So whether you travel the world, attend a traditional school, or are homeschooled, routines should still be integrated into your child’s life.
Final Thoughts
Whether you crave a life of thrill or stability, to travel the world or are more sedimentary, routines should always be an integral part of your child’s day. Children benefit from the relationships and environments that are viewed as predictable to them. And ultimately, they play a key role in their emotional development in how they handle their daily stressors, challenges, and the changes that life throws at them. That’s why routines are important for children, especially during their early developmental years!
