Charts for Bedtime and Morning Routines
It can be pretty common for a child to forget to do things. It’s even more common for them not to remember at all what you told them to do the night before.
How smoothly your bedtime routine goes will determine how smoothly your morning goes. It’s important to have routines for bedtime as well as in the morning. The best way to keep track of needed tasks is to use a chart.
If you leave it up to the memory of your child (or even your memory) something is bound to slip through the cracks. We live in a fast paced world and children’s brains are still developing, it is normal to forget things. Anything we can do to help that problem is a definite plus.
There are a couple of different options you can use with regards to charts:
• The first method is to list each item that needs to be completes on a separate line on the chart. You can lists things on the evening chart such as homework completed, backpack packed, lunch made, clothes picked out, teeth brushed, and so on. On the morning chart you can list things like get dress, feed dog, eat breakfast, brush teeth, etc… Each task could get a check mark or a sticker (note, older children may not want a sticker).
• The second option for a chart would be to list all that needs to be completed on a separate chart and hang it by a calendar. Once the children have completed everything on the chart they can then put a sticker on the day of the week on the calendar.
Remember, it doesn’t matter which system you use as long as it works for your family. It’s possible the kids will try resisting when the chart is first introduced, but it is also possible that they may welcome it and look forward to participating. Either way, stay consistent and know that this is a transition for both your children and for you. Hold each other accountable and allow them to correct you if you forget to update the chart.
Make sure that when you catch your child doing something right that you praise him for it – positive reinforcement really goes a long way and your entire family will benefit from sounds, well managed bedtime and morning routines!
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