Chores and Routines

The 7 Most Beautiful & Easy to Use Toddler Bedtime Routine Charts

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: At Home, Executive Functioning Tagged With: Chores and Routines, Home Organization This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

This post includes the BEST toddler bedtime routine charts. I spent months researching and scouring the internet and beyond to find the most beautiful and most effective toddler bedtime routine charts out there! Why? Because establishing a routine is ridiculously important to child development and your family mental health.

Lauren Tamm of Military Mom and Wife and parenting expert emphasizes in her viral article Boundaries, Routines, and Early Bedtimes: 13 Habits That Raise Well-Adjusted Kids that:

There’s so much of childhood that is new and challenging for kids. Learning self-control and empathy. Learning how to be a friend and interact with others. These are all very BIG things for kids. Using something as simple as printable routine cards can help kids feel grounded and relaxed. In fact, knowing what to expect at mealtimes, mornings and bedtimes can bring a sense of relief to even the most carefree child.

Toddler Bedtime Routine Charts

Custom Personalized Kid Routine Checklist

The author of this best selling bedtime routine checklist makes it easy to customize for your child and your family. She designs the product with cute and simple visual icons to make it easy for a toddler to follow.

Toddler Evening Routine Checklist

The design of this checklist is straightforward and easy on the eye. The illustrations are colorful and simple. This checklist won't overwhelm you or your toddler.

Bedtime Routine Checklist for a Boy

I like the active voice in this checklist letting a child know that it is time to take action on his routine. Plus the colors remind me of superheroes and who doesn't love to think about superheroes especially when tackling an evening routine?

Printable Toddler Bedtime Routine Cards

By the same author a few checklists up, I chose to display this product because of the format. Having cards allows the parent variations on how to use. For example, you could laminate the cards, put velcro on the back, use clips, and so on. There are a variety of ways to implement these handy routine cards into your nighttime system.

Bedtime Checklist for Toddlers

Super simple & colorful. I appreciate the color scheme and the inviting tone of this product.

Magnetic Routine Chart

Kids love magnets and a magnetic routine chart works extremely well in any home. Toddlers can easily keep track of their progress by moving a magnetic card from one side of the routine chart to the other side. Super easy for kids to use!

Adorable Toddler Evening Routine Chart

I couldn't resist this beautiful evening routine chart. So inviting to kids. The colors are calm and peaceful while the illustrations make you want to be a part of the scene.

If you want to keep exploring, check out this list of 12 Brilliant chore charts for kids!

Spring Cleaning Hacks to Motivate Your Whole Family

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Chores and Routines, Family, Home Organization This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

As the adult in your household or classroom, you might anticipate certain chores with glee. To you, spring cleaning is about more than just getting your life in order. It's an opportunity to reinvigorate yourself with the promise of a vibrant new season to come.

Spring Cleaning Hacks to Motivate Your Whole Family

Unfortunately, your little helpers aren't always so enthusiastic about ticking off items on your spring cleaning checklist. It's inevitable that you'll disagree on doing these chores. How can you elimate the power struggles of doing chores and actually make chores fun?

Many children have their own ideas about their agendas. Other kids just dislike tidying up. Fortunately, these attitudes and preferences aren't set in stone. Rethinking the way you scrub, sanitize, and spring clean your surroundings could make things a lot more fun for everyone involved.

Want to keep your youngsters engaged in welcoming the season? Try these spring cleaning tips to influence your kids' viewpoints so that they look forward to the occasion as much as you do. However, before you get going though, step back fo a moment and think about age appropriate chores and routines. Think critically about how you determine the right chores at the right age.

What is spring cleaning?

Akin to preparing for the arrival of a baby (aka “nesting”) there is something about the spring that inspires us. Spring cleaning gives us a fresh start and allows us time to refresh. There is actually a history behind spring cleaning, however. Back in the day when fireplaces and wood stoves heated the rooms during cold winter months, people spent time cleaning their homes, stoves, fireplaces, and so on of the soot that had accumulated over that time.

Nowadays, we take the same approach by opening windows, breathing in the fresh air, and taking advantage of warmer temperatures. On the other hand, spring cleaning is less of an intentional effort now that we have digital apparatices and Marie Kondo to help us stay on track of our homes. With that said, the sentiment of “in with the new, out with the old” still rings true.

Spring Cleaning Hacks for Parents

Establish a Spring Cleaning Routine

Set a schedule first. Following a routine lets you make any event feel doable, and big cleanups are no exception.

Give each person something to do. Including yourself can help show that the spring cleaning checklist isn't one-sided or a punishment. Since the adults usually do most of the heavy lifting, it's also easy to make the point that you're trying to be fair.

Make Goals Together

Motivating a child is way easier when you consider their interests. Instead of simply making them clean because you said to, come up with bigger objectives together. For instance, you might let a child know that if they clean up their personal space, they'll have more room to play and do their favorite hobbies. In other words, involve your kids in the systematic approach to cleaning.

Including your child in the goal-setting process makes them more excited to participate. It's also a great learning lesson on how planning makes it easier to tackle big tasks. Spring cleaning can look like an overwhelmingly massive affair from a younger perspective. Therefore, you must break it down to make it appear more attainable. Work those executive functioning skills!

Spring Cleaning with Kids

Gamify Cleaning

What's guaranteed to be more appealing than being responsible and doing chores? It's playing games. In other words, make doing chores fun and competitive!

Chores and fun might seem like complete opposites, but it's all a matter of attitude. On the other hand, the widespread popularity of chore apps suggests that many families have good experiences with transforming housework into a game. Some research on gamifying chores also makes a case for the combo approach.

If more apps and screen time aren't your cup of tea, then invent new games that don't need tech distractions. Some parents like keeping dry-erase boards on their refrigerators to track which children complete their daily chores each week. Even if you don't do this all year, it can make a fun spring cleaning game.

Sometimes, doing a common chore in a new way makes it more enjoyable. For instance, you could try the Japanese T-shirt folding method and have a race. Competition is definitely a motivator for my boys!

Keep Things Age-appropriate

As I mentioned above, maintaining age-appropriate expectations can help your kids view to-do lists with less dread. If you go too fast and overload them, they won't want to join in. You have to find a way to allow them to lead the process based on who they are and what motivates them.

Talk to them about how their help benefits the family. Remind them that everyone else has to work harder when one person decides not to work.

Inspire Your Kids: Connect Chores to Creativity

Most children understand the concept of a chore as a necessary job. Letting them be more creative about how they complete a task makes it an easier pill to swallow.

Get together to watch a video of sand mandalas being built and erased right before going outside to clean up the garden. Chop down all the old dead plants, and make designs with the debris. Mulch it all into the garden bed, or rake it away for a clean slate.

Is it looking like a rainy spring? Stay indoors to clean up your old office supplies. Shredding old bills and magazines is always lots of fun. Or recycle whatever you find cluttering up the house. Many of the leftovers from these spring cleaning hacks could become precious creative keepsakes.

Reward Effort & Progress

Make chore charts and cleaning progress visible with a chore chart. Also, make your system rewards based. With that said, don't take away from the effort the child put into the chores. Focus on efforts, not reward. Think: Carol Dweck. Still, we're all human and certain things do motivate us! So, surprise your kids when you've finished. Do something that you know they'll like and enjoy. It doesn't have to be huge, but making it something rare or special gives kids a reason to look forward to spring cleaning next year.

One of the best rewards that a kid can receive for helping out is a parent who appreciates their assistance. Let yours know that you're glad to have their spring cleaning help.

Create a Daily Schedule for Kids that Works for Your Family

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Chores and Routines, Home Organization, Positive Parenting This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Time is one of life’s most precious resources. If you waste an hour, you can’t get it back for any amount of money. That’s why teaching your kids priceless time management and organizational skills early and often are top priorities. Accomplishing this is hard if you divide your time among multiple children and a job outside of the home.

Routine and chore charts help you to quickly set expectations for your kids regarding their personal activities, school work, and household chores. These activity charts for kids feature simple designs that are engaging enough to spark interest in even your most jaded teen. Don’t waste a second. Dive right into these daily schedules for kids ideas!

Daily Schedule for Kids – Age by Age

Toddlers (Ages 1-3 years old)

Morning routine charts save the day for parents who have toddlers. Your routine charts, however, should include both morning and evening activities to get your little ones happily moving in the right direction.

Morning Routine for Toddlers

This picture-based chart uses plenty of colors to guide your toddler through his or her day. The title shows a bright, yellow sun that your child will associate with day time and waking up in the morning. Personalize the chart by putting your toddler’s name in the title. Since your toddler’s activities are relatively limited, this chart shows a short list of tasks using fun graphics.

Go potty
Make the bed
Get dressed
Eat breakfast
Brush teeth
Comb hair

Graphics of a potty, a cartoon character making its bed, some clothing, some plated food, a toothbrush, and a comb let your toddler know the sequence of events in his or her morning. Whether you use pictures that you snapped from your smartphone or computer-generated clip art, associate the visuals with words. This gets your child ready for reading later.

Evening Routine for Toddlers

Easy to understand visuals also dominate the child’s evening schedule chart. The title shows a crescent moon and stars, which signals bedtime for your toddler. These activities and their associated pictures are included in the chart.

Pick up toys
Go potty
Brush teeth
Put laundry in the hamper
Get bath
Put on pajamas
Storytime

Customize the morning and evening chart with Velcro tabs and fabric. Cut out yellow stars and green dots from pieces of felt from your local fabric store. Place them in a small pouch that you can hang from a thumbtack. Let your child press a green dot next to tasks as he or she finishes them. If your toddler does a particularly good job on an activity, praise him or her by pressing a yellow star near the task. This will keep your little one engaged and motivated.

Daily Schedule for Preschoolers (Ages 4-5yrs)

Preschoolers are known for their growing independence and their willingness to help around the house. With this daily schedule for kids, you’ll encourage them to be creative while they learn life skills.

Morning Routine for Preschoolers

Have your child create his or her own activity chart with your help. In this chart, morning tasks are a mix of routine activities and age-appropriate household chores.

Here are some example activities:

Use bathroom
Brush teeth
Wash face
Make bed
Get dressed
Eat breakfast
Pack school bag

Evening Routine for Preschoolers

Here are some examples of evening routines:

Pick up toys
Dust or tidy up
Set the dinner table
Brush teeth
Bathe
Put away laundry
Pull on pajamas
Read story

While your child is likely capable of accomplishing these tasks without constant help from you, he or she often gets sidetracked. This activity chart consists of a sturdy poster board that has Velcro tabs and colorful cards for each activity. Print out pre-scripted cards from the internet, or you can make your own from scratch. Work out the ideal numbered sequence of tasks with your child; put the tasks’ numbers on the back of the cards.

When your child finishes a task that’s in his or her stack of cards, he or she will stick the card on the activity board’s Velcro tab. Getting chores done becomes a game. If your child doesn’t remember what he or she needs to do next, refer them to their cards.

If this sound daunting to you, check out these printable morning & evening routine cards!

Grade schoolers (Ages 6-12yrs)

As kids enter grade school, they have more classroom work and less of a desire to help around the house. To keep them organized and useful at home, you’ll need more than morning routine charts with Velcro stars and creative card tricks. This activity chart shows a typical daily schedule for kids who are between 6 and 12 years old, and it has a hook to keep them engaged in their work.

Morning Routine for Elementary

Here are some sample morning tasks.

Make bed
Brush teeth
Wash face
Get dressed
Eat breakfast
Pick up packed lunch & snack
Get school backpack

Evening Routine for Elementary

Here are some sample evening tasks.

Do homework
Eat dinner
Load dishwasher
Take out trash
Help prepare lunch box
Pack school bag
Set aside school clothes
Bathe
Put on pajamas
Read or quiet time
Lights Out

This schedule board needs a sturdier surface than the previous charts. Use a cork bulletin board to hold printed tasks that are individually held in place by Velcro tabs. Since your child has more schoolwork and limited time, it’s important to associate each task with a time reference. You and your child decide when those activities and chores need to be done and create time cards for each task.

An Idea for a Routine Chart for Elementary Kids

Attach small plastic cups with Velcro next to each activity.
Fill a small sack with marbles.
Hang the sack by a tack from the bulletin board.

As your child finishes each activity on time, he or she puts a marble in the cup. You count the marbles daily. If the child reaches a certain amount of marbles at a week’s end, he or she gets a special reward such as a game app, ice cream treat, or a day of no chores.

Teens (Ages 13-18yrs)

Opportunities to shape your child’s time and money management abilities abound when your kid becomes a teenager. While most charts for kids feature physical boards only, this example activity chart goes digital.

Morning Routine for Teens

Example morning activities and age-appropriate housework for teens.

Make bed
Shower and groom
Make breakfast and eat
Pick up lunch
Get school backpack

Evening Routine for Teens

Sample evening routine and chores for teens.

Do homework
Participate in sports
Shower
Help prepare dinner
Eat
Vacuum or tidy up
Do laundry
Set aside school clothes
Pack school lunch
Gather books into a backpack

An Idea for a Routine & Chore Chart for Teenagers

The schedule and activity list for teens should include lists of chores that can be switched out and modified as your family’s needs change. Include a QR code on the poster board so that your child can sync work activities on the physical board with extra instructions about chores on his or her smartphone.

Have your child send a notification when he or she completes tasks. If your teen completed each activity in a timely and effective manner, load a prepaid Visa debit card with the teen’s allowance money. When activities are not done properly, deduct a percentage from his or her allowance.

25+ Exciting & Thoughtful Questions to Ask Kids EVERY Day

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Chores and Routines, Family, Positive Parenting, Relationships This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Communicating with kids is not easy. Getting kids to listen or to talk to you about their lives when you're not around is difficult. Still, we have to find a way. The point of asking kids questions about school or their day is to gather information, to help your child express and process his emotions, and to build your relationship with your child. The last thing you want to do is shut your child down by asking a yes/no question. The questions for your kids should be open-ended. So, how do you get your kids to talk about school?

The idea is not to have a hundred questions to ask your kids at dinner time but find a few to add into your daily routine. Make asking questions about one another’s days intentional and soon it will be organic.

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. ~ Plato

I came up with questions below but not all of these questions will work for your family. Pick and choose from the ideas or simply use these questions as inspiration to come up with your own.

Questions to Ask Kids about School

When was someone kind to you today?
When were you kind to someone?
What was the hardest part of your day?
What was easy?
What type of games did you play on the playground today?
Which special class did you enjoy the most?
Which character did you enjoy most in your read aloud today?
Tell me about a time someone made you laugh today
Tell me about a time when you felt uncomfortable today

Questions to Ask Kids about Mom

Another fun twist on asking kids questions is to ask questions about yourself.

What is Mom’s favorite food?
What does mom like to do when you’re in school?
What does mom do after you’re in bed?
Who is mom’s favorite person in the whole world?
If mom was going on a trip and could invite one friend, who would it be?
What makes mom laugh?

Silly Questions to Ask Kids at the End of the Day

There is no sound more enjoyable than the sound of my child’s laughter. So, make your questions for kids fun and silly.

Humor and laughter are good things. It is vital to be serious at times but also important not to take life so seriously.

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. ~ Mother Teresa

If you could be any animal in the world, which animal would you be?
One morning you wake up to discover your brother has a tail. Do you tell him?
One morning you wake up to discover you have wings, what is your first move?
If you had one superpower, which superpower would that be?
Would you rather be able to see in the dark or the ability to be invisible?
Who is your favorite mythical creature?
If you were a dog, which kind would you be?
Which superhero would you be and why?
Would you rather be a lion or a shark?
Would you rather be an elephant or a monkey?
If you could choose any special talent, what would you choose?

Sometimes the best way to connect with your kids is to not say anything at all. Instead, you can listen to them and use your eyes to connect. There is a lot of pressure to be on top of our kids. I love talking with my kids but more than anything I love simply being with my kids. These questions to ask kids will undoubtedly help you connect with your child and learn more about your child but don't ever feel bad about simply leaving your child alone. That helps him, too. I promise.

How to Determine the Right Chores at the Right Age

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: At Home, Parenting Tagged With: Chores and Routines, Positive Parenting, Simple Living This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

As a parent, our chore list is often long in length and filled with arduous and boring activities. As you know, I am a big believer in creating an allowance system for my kids. The sooner we can have the kids involved, the better. Right? Finding the right chores to introduce at the right time to our children is key to having a successful implementation. Otherwise, you might find yourself frustrated and with more work than when you began!

So, what is the right age and what are the right activities? Creating a daily schedule for kids is more of an art than a science! It can be hard to decide when is a good time to start giving kids chores. Things you will have to consider are the child’s attention span, abilities, and interest in a reward system.

Age by Age Chore Suggestions

Chores for 1 to 3-Year-Olds

It is important to make chores into a game or a FUN activity that allows you to have “bonding time”. Here are some activities you can do with your toddler.

In the laundry, toddlers can match socks, pick their laundry out of the pile, folding washcloths and towels. You can even make the activity more enriching by talking about color, shape, and sizes. In the kitchen, toddlers can have fun cleaning counters with spray bottles or small bucket of water and sponge, sweeping with a miniature broom and dustpan, handing dishes to you out of the dishwasher. In their bedroom and playroom, toddlers can put laundry, toys, and books away. Sometimes it helps to give goals like “How fast can you put x number of items away?” or race each other to put the most items away in a minute.

Related Read: A Preschooler’s Chore Chart

When you think to yourself (as you will), “I could get this done so much faster on my own” just remember you are training them for the pre-K and K age group when they begin to do their chores on their own!

Chores for 4 to 6-Year-Olds

Preschoolers are more able to help without as much supervision. By this age, you should really be able to give them a task and have them do it. Of course, their size, maturity level, and their level of strength should all be taken into account. Washing plates, bowls, and cups are a good place to start with dishes at this age. They may need a stool to stand on and a bit more supervision. Sweeping and vacuuming are also good chores for preschoolers to do indoors. Raking leaves, picking up dog waste from the yard, taking out the trash, and cleaning their rooms are also very good chores for a child of this age group. Be patient, because preschoolers still have a pretty short attention span and will probably need a lot of reminding.

Chores for 7 to 10-Year-Olds

The Elementary age group is ready for the big machines. Honestly, if a child can use phones, tablets, and game systems, they can use dishwashers and washing machines. At this age, you can really start to expect your child to do their own laundry or be in charge of the daily dishes. It might be nice to switch out different chores for different days so that they don’t start getting too bored and becoming careless.

Chores for 11 – 13-Year-Olds

Here comes the yard work! Children in the middle school age group can start using lawn mowers. They typically have enough coordination and depth perception at this point to do a good job and not run over stray objects in the yard.

Chores for 14 and Up

By the age of 14, your children should be able to do just about any chore that an adult should be able to do, but you may not want to trust them just yet with paying bills and doing your taxes (though that is an attractive idea). I know that the temptation to lighten up on chores might be there since many high schoolers have a lot of homework and after-school activities, but just remember, you are teaching them how to take care of themselves in the adult world. Don’t overload them, but also make sure they are carrying the appropriate amount of responsibility in the home.

Knowing when is the right age to give your children chores can be hard. It really comes down to the individual child’s maturity and ability levels, but these are good places to start with each age group.

I hope you found this post helpful!

Marnie

How to Make Chores Fun for Toddlers

By Marnie Craycroft Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Chores and Routines, Positive Parenting This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

It is almost ALWAYS easier to do chores for your toddler, but by training kids early you are giving them ownership and setting yourself up for success later. (I mean, who doesn't love child labor? Kidding!)

As you know, I spend a lot of time practicing the Montessori philosophy and teaching kids independence and self-reliance is an important part of the Montessori method. By the time kids are 4 years old, they are able to do most chores independently (within their physical and mental capabilities).

Related Read: How to Start Chores with Kids

So, if you want your preschooler to start earning his/her keep, start training them young! Making chores fun is the key step to getting toddlers to want to help!

Room by Room Chores for Toddlers

Chores in the Laundry:

Make a game of matching socks and talk about colors and materials as you do it.
Folding small washcloths and towels can also be fun for a toddler. Teach organizational skills and give your toddler a bin in which to put the clean, folded pieces.
My daughter also loves to pick her clothes out of the pile. I’m sure you’ve all heard your toddler scream “MINE” on occasion – they love the idea of discovering ownership of items.
Finally, aren’t all toddlers incessant button-pushers? Teach them to turn on and push start on the washer and dryer.

Chores in the Kitchen:

A cup of water and a sponge can entertain a water-loving toddler for a long time.
A spray bottle filled with natural materials is great for cleaning counters (and not worrying about your toddler ingesting it).
Believe it or not, sweeping can be fun for toddlers with the right materials. My little ones enjoy using their child-sized broom set.
If you are feeling daring, give them a shot at pulling items out of the dishwasher for you. They can at least save your back a little strain by handing you items from the lower drawer.
While your toddler is not ready for cooking, they may be ready for learning to cut (with a butter knife of course). My daughter loves to cut (with scissors and butter knives) soft items like noodles, green beans, asparagus, cooked sweet potato rings, hot dogs, apples, pears, etc.
Teach kids to set the table properly with a placemat for guidance.

Chores in the playroom and bedroom:

Make sure that every toy has a home and teach your toddler where to put the toys. Labeling with pictures can help kids quickly identify where toys and books go. Once that is done, try making games of picking up. Race your toddler to see how many toys they can pick up in a minute or who can pick up more toys in a limited amount of time.
If you are okay with messy drawers, teach your toddler how the drawers are organized and help him/her put their laundry away.
For the larger toddlers, operating the vacuum can be quite fun. We have a wireless vacuum that my toddler can barely operate but loves almost as much as I do.

Other Chores for Toddlers:

Grocery shopping: carrying in small grocery items.
Gardening: Pulling weeds, digging holes to plant seeds and watering.
Pet care: filling the food and water bowl (and probably dumping it)
Outdoor Chores for Kids

Make sure you introduce and teach your toddler chores in a calm and unhurried environment. Enjoy the time you are spending together and pat yourself on the back for teaching him/her the skills to be more independent and responsible.