Children need routine. They thrive on routine. All children. Not just children with special needs.
Take my own child as an example. She is a typically developing 17-month-old. That doesn’t mean she is exempt from benefiting from routines.
Why?
It’s simple. Routines make life predictable.
Now consider a child with no verbal communication and limited communication skills. It gives them a sense of control over their world, when they know what to expect.
So why rob them of that?
I know too many parents that feel it is challenging to put their child and their family on a routine. I get that. I’m not asking for you to follow a schedule to a T (7am wake up, 7:30 breakfast, 8am get dressed, 9 school, 3 snack, 5 dinner, 7 shower…NO!) While some children WILL benefit greatly from this, it takes a lot for a parent to do this daily, especially when you have the rest of your family on a different schedule. If you thrive on a set time schedule, go for it. If that scares the heck out of you, try following a routine instead!
How? I’ll lay it out for you…
Take that schedule above and remove the times. The activities/events of the day, remain in the same order. They may just not happen at the same *time* everyday. That’s okay!
The important thing is to have a clear beginning and end. When that is in place, children learn the entire routine from start to finish MUCH faster!
The simple act of following a routine can help your child greatly!!!! Have you tried it yet?
Here are three apps to help make your morning routine easier, get it here.
Start by breaking it down by parts of the day. Morning, afternoon and night. Then go from there. See where it takes you. And I encourage you to avoid Dr. Google and create a routine that works for YOU and YOUR family!
Do you have a routine in place? Would love to hear how it’s working out for you!
With Love,
Hallie