Tips for Adding Consistency to Your Child's Routine 

During this time of uncertainty, it is more important than ever to maintain consistency at home. As parents, creating structure is one of the most important things we can do for our children. For example, dance class or baseball practice is always on the same day at the same time and bedtime is typically around the same time every night, etc. These are routines that we have created to ensure success for our children. Keep in mind, from the time our children were born, they test boundaries. The tried to crawl, stand, eat, and talk on their own. Then the talking may lead to arguing to see if mom and dad have the same response as they did 5 minutes ago. Because we know that kiddos tend to push boundaries and test limits, we have laid out a few helpful tips for adding consistency to your child’s routine.

Three Tips for Maintaining Consistency at Home:

1. Be consistent with your answers and follow through. Make sure your children know that when you say “Yes” or “No” to something, you actually mean “Yes” or “No.” For example, if your child is asking if they can go to a friend’s house and you initially say “No” but really you meant “Let me think about it,” that will be cause for confusion in the future. It is important that as parents, we do what we say we were going to do. This is called “follow through.” By being consistent with our answers, it will be easier for parents to follow through. Think of it as very matter of fact. There is no negotiating (arguing) because mom or dad already said no.
2. Model consistency yourself. Share your routine/ daily schedule with your children. For example, if you wake up at the same time every morning or go to the store on the same day of the week, share that with your child. If you stray from the routine for a bit, share that with your children as well. It is important for our children to know that while routine and structure is necessary, it is absolutely okay to have to deviate from the plan every once in a while.
3. Have a schedule for your kids at home. Kids like to know what is coming next. We often see visual schedules in our kid’s classrooms showing them the plan for the school day. Some children need a little more predictability in their day. Have a schedule at home, even if it’s as simple as writing down the day’s activities in the order they will occur. It is okay to not always follow the schedule because other things happen unexpectedly, like a surprise ice cream trip just because. All in all, try to be as consistent as you can be. Download our free schedule!

Keep in mind, it is okay to change things up occasionally. While consistency is key, teaching flexibility is also extremely important.

Taylor Bernardez, M.A., BCBA
Behavior Supervisor, Ventura
Tuesday, February 2, 2021