I wrote out a long list of all of the various things that we do as a part of our days: meals and snacks, various learning/school activities, library trips, piano lessons and practice, playdates, grocery shopping, laundry, morning and/or afternoon chores, family time, etc. I knew that I needed flexibility in how each daily routine looked, even though there are certainly threads of similarity from day to day. Particularly in seasons with very young children, every day can look quite different and there are many elements that make up our days and weeks.
When we have a rigid daily routine, it just doesn’t work (at least, not for us). Instead, I cut them in half with a paper cutter, so that I could make two rows of 7, giving me 14 activity slots. Now I had space for 7 daily activities, but I knew that I wanted more. I opted to use a package of long strips of heavy paper, intended for writing out sentences. You can see the perforated holes leftover from its use as a calendar, but you can't tell from farther away I sat down with a steak knife, and slit open each of the 7 day slots to make one large, horizontal slot going across the calendar. I had used it for a year, but decided doing calendar time wasn’t that important to me, and so it had sat there. I was able to solve this fairly easily by using a preschool pocket wall calendar that I had purchased at a garage sale several years earlier. Problem was, I didn’t have one nor did I want to go out and spend the money on one. I loved the idea of using a pocket wall chart where I could easily rearrange the activities in our day. I was weary of the questions, and I could tell that my kids needed some more structure to our casual summer days. Too many times each day, I was being asked “when are we eating lunch?” or “why can’t I watch a movie right now?” or “why do I have to do my math before I play outside?”. Perfect! Click here > Picture Schedule Cards to download and print your own set.Inspired by Simple Homeschool’s article on Creating a Visual Schedule for Kids, I realized that this was exactly what our home needed to bring some much-desired peace and order to our days. When times up, there’s a quiet little beep. The kids can see their times slipping away. Mine sits next to the laptop for computer time. Interested in a timer? The Time Timer is a secret-to-success tool used by teachers and parents everywhere.
Pocket charts (similar to the one above – maybe a little smaller) are sometimes available in the dollar section at Target in the summer or fall.ģ. Put magnets on the back of your picture schedule cards and stick them on the fridge or a cookie sheet.Ģ. Then throughout the day they visit the visual schedule and figure out what’s happening next.įind out more reasons on why you should create a daily schedule for your kids.
Third and finally, they read it together and read it again! Morning Activities on left – Afternoon Activities on right Second, she works with her child to set the schedule for the rest of the day. Here is how…įirst, she keeps the main cards to suggest a framework for the day: Other places to look, click here and here.īernadette creates this great visual schedule to let her kids know what the plans are for the day. Sometimes you can get a mini pocket chart at Target when they have their back-to-school supplies. and guess what – it’s here! Link to printable at the bottom.ĭon’t you love the movable schedule pictures and the pocket chart? Me too! We’ve talked about sharing this f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I love how she has incorporated some of her teaching techniques into her home. She’s an awesome teacher and mom of three children. Create A Visual Daily Schedule For Kids At Homeĭo you like the types of schedules your child’s teacher uses in the classroom? Every teacher from preschool through at least 5th grade, puts a schedule on their board.īernadette and I have been friends since BK (Before Kids).