Navigating Family Engagement Today
Schedules/Routines Part 2
Setting up a schedule
In our first installment of Nagivating Family Engagement Today, we shared eight good reasons for working with your child(ren) to create a formal, written schedule. We hope you agree that this will help your family during what can be a tough time that none of us were quite prepared for.
We strongly urge you to consider creating the schedule WITH your children, not FOR them. You can set the guidelines, but let them suggest how to structure the day and balance the time between “work” and “fun.” Remember, what they consider “fun” may be different from what you think of as enjoyable.
If you have a pre-teen or teen, you may even want to let them create the schedule alone (with you suggesting what must be included first). Then they can meet with you and negotiate the final version.
And, if you have teens, consider letting their schedule start later in the morning and go later in the afternoon. Teens are just not at their best early in the day!
Put the schedule on paper, on a chart, decorate it. BUT, hang it up so it is a constant reminder of the routine. It will keep everyone on the same page.
Settinup up a schedule (cont.)
Consider whether there needs to be a schedule for the weekend. It may make sense to leave weekend days open-ended like usual (if that is the case in your family). You should decide what makes the most sense in your home.
Plan to revisit the schedule at the end of each week together with your child(ren), perhaps on the weekend, to consider what is working well and what needs adjustment. You may decide together to change the order of the schedule each week just to provide variety.
Think about writing a formal schedule not just for children, but the adults as well! You could be a role model for the children and, who knows, maybe it will help the adults stay grounded as well.
