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I always get this question that I don’t know how to answer:
Can you provide a schedule of your day that shows when you fit kids activities into your daily routine?
Simple question. A not-so-easy answer.
Especially since I share an activity planner that helps you fit those activities in your day, but yet I can’t tell you how to schedule them into your day.
You see, my days are very rarely the same.
I am not a scheduled person. I roll with the flow most days.
And I find this works best for my family. It takes a lot of pressure off me that I would put on all year if I had schedules to follow.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t gather ideas for the week or have plans. I do have those.
However, I do have daily routines here and there that we do with the kids.
Little things that happen.
They might not happen every day. And may not happen at the same time every day.
But they do happen.
Why Daily Routines are Important for Kids
Routines make everything simpler for the whole family.
And daily routines are actually really good for the kids. In fact, it helps them learn to do their everyday task on their own.
Read more about why routines are important for kids here.
One of our simple schedules is in the morning.
First Thing in the Morning We Follow These Simple Steps:
- we get up
- eat breakfast
- get dressed
- play a little
- and head to school.
That’s it. Short and simple and fairly obvious, right?
Bedtime schedules are fairly the same.
In the Evening We Follow These Steps:
- boys get a bath
- get pajamas on
- get their vitamins
- brush their teeth
- read a book
- and say goodnight.
That’s it.
Everything in between is pretty much up for grabs.
My oldest is in school. Both my preschooler and toddler boys go to preschool and daycare three mornings a week.
Those are my work hours.
Activities with the kids happen anywhere in between those simple daily routine times.
But where exactly do I fit activities into our day?
First Off, a Little More About How My Home Works.
I’m primarily a stay at home mom.
So I’m at home with my kids and work when I can.
My husband works nights, so he’s home during the days with us as well (in the morning he’s sleeping).
He is there to help me during activities if I want it.
Your home might be a little different in that you work out of the home all day, or you’re at home by yourself until the late hours of the night.
If that’s the case, I urge you to jot down 7 of your own ways that you can squeeze in kids activities into your daily routine.
These are 7 of our times that we do activities in our family.
Please take note that we do not do activities during every single of these times all the time.
We’re not activity-making machines!
We like to take it easy too!
These are just the time slots in our daily routines when we usually have some time to squeeze one in for the kids here or there.
As long as activities are kept simple they can be squeezed into any part of the day!
Another thing to remember is that activities usually only take 15 minutes or so (give or take a few depending on how old your child is).
So don’t be discouraged if you don’t have huge chunks of times to squeeze them into.
They literally can be squeezed in small spots!
7 Ways We Squeeze Kids Activities in Daily Routines:
In the Morning.
Activities are most often slipped into the mornings when the kids don’t have preschool or daycare.
Sometimes even on mornings before they go to school!
If they’re up super early some days (because it happens!) we’ll sometimes squeeze an activity in after we’re ready to go and have a little bit of time to spare.
During the Baby or Toddler’s Nap Time.
Nap time has always been a life saver for me and activities.
It’s when I have been able to focus on my preschooler and do more advanced activities that my toddler might disrupt or get in the way of.
This is a perfect place to sneak an activity into the daily routine for older kids.
After Nap Time.
This is hit or miss for us because after nap times my kids can often be very grumpy (are mine the only ones?).
If I’m not just sitting and holding them to keep them from a meltdown we’ll often sneak in a quick activity before my oldest gets home from school.
After School.
Right now, the weather is fantastic (which has been a long time coming here in Iowa), so this time is less and less.
They’re often just running around outside enjoying the weather.
But when the kids are stuck inside or once this newfound fun of the outdoors has worn off, we’ll be back to doing activities in this time slot of our schedule.
I love doing activities with all three kids!
Before Dinner.
This is always a crazy time of day when I’m trying to get dinner on the table.
Which makes it the perfect time in the daily routine to get the kids settled in a busy activity.
I get them started and it’s an activity that they can keep going on their own while I get dinner ready and supervise from afar.
See our 20 easy activities to keep kids busy.
Weekends.
I often leave Sunday schedules open to family, but Saturdays are fair game for activities!
It’s also often the perfect time for a walk around town that leads to the playground.
Yes, that counts as an activity, too!
Before Heading Out for the Day.
In our weekly routine we have one day that I usually reserve for errands or going to Grandma’s house with the kids.
There have been countless times that we squeeze an activity in before we head out.
I find this to be a perfect time to connect with them (and give them that one-on-one time) before heading out and doing things that are all about me.
Or at Grandma’s, it’s all about Grandma and not a time for me to connect with them.
Bonus Time: The Witching Hour.
Between dinner and bedtime is known to be a funny part of every kids daily routine.
Can bring on the untamed behaviours or boredom as kids are getting tired but not ready to sleep yet.
This is the perfect time if time allows.
Often our dinner runs into our bedtime routine so there’s not always time.
See 10 activities to do during the Witching Hour.
It’s not anything scientific, or anything really secret.
It’s just how we flow around here.
Simple (if you haven’t noticed, that’s how I like it.)
These are the moments in our relaxed daily routines that I find it easiest to add in activities for the kids.
I keep finding over and over again that a simple life is a much happier life.
I try to keep things as uncomplicated as possible and that goes for my parenting, our activities, and our day to day routines.
Simple makes it much more balanced in our house.
How do you fit activities into your life the best?
Leave a comment below letting me know how you create activity moments in your daily routine with the kids!
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