With an international pandemic, the coronavirus lockdown is affecting all areas of society. This change in routine and lifestyle can be more noticeable in its effects on our children’s education.
No longer are most kids able to attend school and learn amongst their peers, students are instead expected to continue learning the curriculum from a home office or their dining room table.
This may present many challenges and can leave students feeling isolated, alone and anxious through the lack of support that they no longer receive from teachers.
By taking out the set boundaries that are usually put in place, students are feeling at a loss and unable to differentiate between study time and playtime.
If you are a parent struggling with juggling work and home education, in this blog we will cover the benefits of a routine in a child’s daily life and how you can begin to implement a routine today.
Benefits of a routine?
We often take for granted the routines that we put into place. From the time that our kids wake up each morning, their journey to school and the class schedule of the day.
Routine is vital in allowing them to feel secure and develop within their educational environment. This set structure to the day, not just organises our children, but can contribute to their development.
A routine is crucial in helping them to become tolerant, flexible and open-minded.
Highlighting the importance of timekeeping, following and completing set tasks are essential in their development turning them into successful young adults.
From emotional, social, to brain development, without this routine, we are denying our children the right to turn into well rounded, happy beings.
Feeling of security
A clear set structure throughout the day adds a much-needed feeling of security. Instead of throwing unexpected activities at them, a set structure with reliability and predictability is important so that your child is mentally prepared to complete the tasks at hand.
Ability to control emotions
Even as adults, we have tasks that we would rather not complete, but through the introduction of a routine in our childhood, we are able to control our emotions.
Instead of throwing a tantrum every time an event occurs that they do not like, your child can review and face the event with a calm mind.
By adding timers and reminders throughout the day, your child has an understanding of the duration of the task in front of them that they are not enjoying.
Sense of pride and self-discipline
A daily routine, regardless of how small the routine may appear will instantly teach your child the importance of controlling their actions and in turn determining their environment.
From the need to make the bed when they wake up, to the cleaning of their teeth after breakfast. Each task is important and can help contribute to them being healthy and self-reliant.
How to create a routine for your children?
With many benefits to creating a routine for your child during the coronavirus outbreak, how do you begin to incorporate a routine in your day? We have put together some tips to help you slip into a routine that could prove beneficial and inspire them to fully focus on their studies.
1- Start at ground level
Before you start implementing a complex routine, start at a basic level. Get the children up and dressed in the morning at a set time, create a rough schedule that they follow even on the weekends.
If each day’s routine differs and is not identical to the last, by having a basic routine that they can depend on, week by week can prove vital.
2- What are the expectations?
Before you can put into place an effective routine, your child needs to know your expectations.
By making your expectations clear, also the benefits of following this routine, your child can be inspired to follow the routine that you are putting into place. Also by setting a clear expectation, your child will be more inclined to be independent and complete their daily tasks on their own.
3- Flexibility
The key to a good routine is allowing flexibility. The creation of a rigid routine is not beneficial to your child or preparing them for the future.
Instead, by creating a flexible schedule, your child will be more open to being spontaneous. Understanding that plans can often change last minute can help ease anxiety and allow them to be thrown into new circumstances.
4- Resources
Before you can put into place an effective routine that can ease their anxieties throughout the coronavirus outbreak, be sure to gather all the required resources.
Allowing them to access the same material in line with their specialist curriculum, they can continue to learn in line with their set lesson plan while easing any anxiety that they may experience in this shift of routine.
Teaching Resources
You may be interested in the following teaching resources:
Ed Place – Home learning, matches your child’s schooling and exams from year 1 to GCSE
Learn Laugh Play – Fun and interactive online learning for ages 3 to 16.
Conclusion
With livelihoods and routines being thrown out of the window and with homeschooling fully underway, adjusting in the way that we deal with these changes is key to how successful we are.
The daily routine of our children proves vital not just in their education, but also in their mental health.
Along with creating a healthy, happy and confident child, this routine can prepare them for a successful future. By following these key tips on how to create a routine, you can add some stability to your day and allow them to feel secure in a set timetable regardless of how turbulent times become.
I would love to hear from you and discover the changes that you have witnessed in your children since lockdown and the effects of having no routine have caused to their self-esteem. Comment below and share your experience today.
