Establishing routines for children

Routines are something every family strives to constantly improve. Life is full of uncertainties and the establishment of a consistent routine enables for more stability for everybody in the family.

Here are seven reasons for why establishing a good routine is important for your child:

1. Consistent body clocks

Keeping a consistent routine helps a child and their “body clock” during day-to-day activities. These include their ability to sleep well at night, ability to eat healthy meals, enjoy healthy play and time outside, and be calm and relaxed during “down” times of the day.

For example, your child and their body will learn quickly it’s time to go to bed, when every night after they’ve cleaned their teeth, you read 3 books together, have a cuddle then it’s time to sleep.

2. Establishing expectations

We’ve all struggled to get children into the bath during bath time or getting children to clean up at the end of the day. By accustoming your children to expect the same routine every day, children will begin to expect what’s to come. As parents and nannies, we are then simply there to assist, as opposed to being the one’s telling them to “do this” or “don’t do that”. This leads us to our next point…

3. Gives your child independence and confidence

We all want our children to have the confidence to be independent. Through all the daily tasks we do - waking up at the same time, getting dressed, brushing our teeth, eating breakfast together, packing our bags - we teach our children the importance of routine for daily life to run smoothly. It’s important to teach your children age-appropriate tasks to complete independently for them to gain the confidence to do things for themselves.

4. Establishes healthy habits

It’s important for all children to learn healthy habits and we are always working as parents and nannies work to establish these in daily life. By establishing a healthy routine that is consistent and stress-free, children are able to practice these skills to better manage themselves and their time. This leads to more self-discipline later on in life and healthier habits in grooming, eating, cleanliness and so much more!

5. A stress-free household

Children thrive on routine, but so do parents!

Routine allows children to have a sense of security which reduces anxiety and stress. Though it also makes life easier for parents, giving parents more “brain space” to remember other life administrations. Having our “daily routine” tasks we do every day helps us to keep life on track. This reduces stress for all!

6. Provides opportunity for “daily rituals”

When a child expects and recognises consistent, regular family activities, they begin to build their own understanding of what is important. This creates the beginnings of their sense of values, beliefs and interests.

Creating a routine where you do things together as a family - eating dinner together every evening or cleaning together on a Saturday morning creates a sense of teamwork and togetherness through a “family ritual”.

7. Consistency with your nanny

At Bilingual Nannies Agency, we think it's essential for children to experience consistency in their routine no matter who is in their care. We ensure we find nannies who understand this and are expert in working with parents to provide the same environment and expectations when in the nanny's care.