Creating Healthy Routines for Kids

Creating healthy routines for kids will help your family be intentional with what matters.

Creating healthy routines in our home has been a central focus, especially with school starting back. Look over your past few weeks and I bet you can see rhythms sprinkled throughout your days. Without even realizing it, we all have rhythms. Some may be stricter than others but generally speaking there are certain things you do every single day. 

As a mom, I have found it to be essential to create healthy rhythms within our home. Whenever something is not working well, I look back our rhythms and ask myself, “should something be adjusted?”

Creating Healthy Routines for Kids

While there may be other routines within our homes, for the moms with school-aged kids, there are three essential routines: Morning, After School, and Evening. If you are not a mom of school-aged kids, you will just remove the after school routine.

Morning Routine

For a morning routine, you will want to keep it short and simple.

On school days, ours goes like this: 

• Wake Up and Get Dressed
• Eat Breakfast
• Brush Teeth and Get Hair Ready
• Shoes On and Out the Door
• Pray in the car on the way to school

The kids know exactly what needs to be accomplished and what time we are leaving. If you are just starting out with a morning routine, it is going to take some practice. Repetition is what helps! 

Tips to Help with Morning Routine: 

• Layout the clothes the night before. 
• Have bookbag packed and ready the night before. 
• Keep breakfast simple and easy. 

After School Routine

The after school will vary depending on whether you work outside of the home or not. Since I work from home, I pick up the kids and the goal is that I am mainly finished with work when I pick up the kids (this will be our first year with this new routine).

Our after school routine basically remains the same, although my oldest does have a running club.

Ours looks like this: 

• Take out the folder for Mom to check
• Eat a snack and share about the day
• Tech Time
• Homework
• Outside Play

The goal is that homework is finished by 4 pm. Once 4 pm hits, I am usually thinking about what I need to prep for dinner, the kids have some outside time, and on some nights we are preparing to go to soccer. 

Tips to Help with After School Routine

The reason we have a little tech time after school is because after the kids and I talk, they need some chill time. There are times when my oldest will go ahead and get his homework finished, but for the most part, we have a little bit of downtime. Younger kids may need a little nap or rest time during this time. 

You will have to figure out what works best for your kids after school. Adjust it as needed and remember it is okay to mix it up!

Evening Routine

As you are looking at your evening routine, if you feel instantly overwhelmed, ask yourself if there is something you can eliminate.

Our evening routine looks like this:

• Dinner
• Dinner Clean-Up (during this time also pack lunches if needed)
• Soccer Practice or Church or Relax/Play Time
• Bath Time
• Quick Clean-Up of  House
• Snack Time with Show
• Brush Teeth, Read a Book, Bed

Tips to Help with the Evening Routine

• Evenings are when we are all the most tired and worn down. Instead of zoning out on your phone, consider putting the phone up from after dinner to the kids’ bedtime. 
• Use the evening time to help set up your morning well! 

Overall, remember, the goal is never perfection with these routines. Some days are really busy and we do what is essential. Routines are not even something to be checking off a list, they are just what are natural to your family flow. What healthy routines are you going to create in your home? 

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