How to Use Routine to Structure Your Toddler's Day

My husband and I recently put together a "schedule" for Brady's days. I put it in quotes because it's more of a routine really.  And while I'm not big on imposing schedules and believe in open exploration and free play, I'm a big fan of routines for day-to-day activities

Routines have huge benefits for children's rapidly developing brains. Knowing what to expect helps children feel like they're in control (important as they're establishing independence). From the caregiver standpoint, knowing what comes next during the day helps to avoid misbehavior during transition times. In classrooms and home life, transitions are always the hardest. In addition to providing the structure that toddler's crave, routines provide a boost for cognitive development and the beginnings of the concept of time. They help establish the concepts of past, present, future which have increasing importance as children get older.

Routine is a staple in most early childhood practices. But my time teaching in a Montessori classroom allowed me the chance to appreciate just how important this, along with the prepared environment can be. In Montessori philosophy, prepared environment includes freedom, structure, order, beauty, nature, social, and intellectual components. I've tried to take my favorite parts of various philosophies and incorporate them into my parenting and activities we plan. 

When developing our schedule we also took into consideration the times of day he's naturally more active and the times when we're trying to get wound down for a nap or bedtime. 
Here is what we came up with:

Breakfast

Walk or Dance Party
On days we can't go out for a walk, we'll do a little dancing!

Presentation & Joint Play

The presentation aspect comes from the Montessori philosophy. This serves as a time when Brady is presented with a material; new or one that he's worked with before. We take our time in showing him how it works, how to use it appropriately and what can be done with it. Stay tuned for more posts about the kinds of materials we present.

Independent Play

This is time when Brady can continue to explore with what we've just presented or anything else that interests him. We take more of an observant role at this time and it allows us to prepare what comes next in our day.

Morning Snack

Art or Sensory Activity

There will be more posts to follow with ideas for art and sensory activities. One of our favorites recently was edible finger paint which I talked about in this post.

Independent Play

Lunch Time

Books & Quiet Time

Nap

Presentation & Joint Play

Independent Play

Afternoon Snack

Outdoor Play/Music/Silly Play

Of course being silly happens spontaneously throughout the day. But on days when it's hard to find our silly side, it's helpful to have it built into the routine.  While time as first teacher is important, it's equally important to let loose and be silly now and then. One of my favorite blogs, Dirt and Boogers has a great post here about great ways to be silly and playful with your kids.

Dinner

Independent Play

Yoga

I really love the idea of yoga before bed. It's something we're just starting to try. And as I suspected and talked about in this post, so far, I'm the one doing the yoga, and Brady enjoys hugging my legs, head or whatever is in reach. But I decided to give it a try, partly as a way for me to incorporate it into my own routine and I'm hoping he'll start to participate more in the future.

Books & Quiet Time

Bed

Notice our activities don't have any times listed next to them. I'm a firm believer in letting children explore an activity for as long as they feel they need to. It's my job to smooth out the transitions and move on to something new when he begins losing interest. It's a loose schedule of events and is by no means adhered to all the time. But we're pretty pleased with it for now and I'm excited to see how Brady benefits from it and how it gets modified as he grows and changes.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on daily routines! What are some favorite things you like to incorporate into your days? Do you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share?