I think we all love it. I know I do and every parent/care giver I have ever met does too.
I know my 6 year old is itching to get back she has missed her friends and although she doesn't realize it I know that she has missed her school life routine too.
I have cared for this little gem since she was 5 months old. I took over from a baby nurse who had her in a great routine from very early on (in my opinion it's important to start early). She was a brilliant napper and religiously took her naps in the morning and evening until she was almost 2 years old. We would walk every morning and afternoon as weather permitted (at Norland it was stressed how great fresh air is for all). Plus it helped me to shed a few pounds.
She fed at the same time every day and bathed at the same time every day and was a very happy, relaxed, content baby. I know, I know.....it's the luck of the draw too. It's the whole nature/nurture debate as well. I believe I had great material to work with but I also believe that the routine helped tremendously.
Giving a child a routine is the best way of giving them a sense of security. They know what to expect and when to expect it and it helps create self confidence and makes them feel secure. I also believe that the routine should never be so inflexible that as soon as there is any change it is upsetting to the child. Rules are meant to be broken or twisted a little.....you never want to be so strict that there is a melt down or a definite change in behaviour of the child due to a change in schedule.
It also teaches children how to become self sufficient. If a child is used to the bedtime routine as a bath/shower, brush teeth and then read for 15 mins they are likely to carry this on themselves when older. Knowing that a routine like this is done on a daily basis also helps develop healthy patterns of behaviour such as being aware of personal hygiene. An added bonus is that it also may eliminate some of the arguing and power struggles between parent and child.
Routines also help build trust between a child and parent or care giver, if I tell a child the schedule of the day and it actually happens then a certain level of trust and understanding has been built between the two of us.
A routine can also help to create a clock of the day for young children. Think about it, as adults we all know what time it is and when to expect certain events of the day such as lunch due to looking at our watch or clocks. To children who cannot tell the time it's just one big wide open day, a routine can help guide them through the day.
When my charge was young I would always start the day by talking to her over breakfast about what we were going to do that day, I believe it made her feel happier that she knew what was going to be happening to her during the day......it went a little something like this.
After breakfast we'll get dressed and go for a walk.
After the walk we will got to see Mr Bruce at music class.
After music class we will come home and have lunch.
After lunch it's nap time.
After nap time we will go to the park.
After the park we will have dinner then a bath.
And after the bath 'Mummy comes home' ........and Lulu will go home.
I would also update her during the day to let her know what was happening next (I would never expect her to remember the whole sequence of the day) and as she grew older I would ask her if she remembered what came after lunch etc. A benefit to this is that it helped build her memory skills too.
She is 6 years old now and we still start with the layout of the day so she knows what's going to be happening......especially in the summer time which offers a different kind of schedule.
Yesterday we talked about how the weeks are going to be once she is back at school. She has an after school activity every day par Thursday so knowing what is coming her way will help her prepare and feel more comfortable about the day.
In my opinion a daily routine for children can make life easier for everyone!
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