Making daily life easier

At breakfast, you could ask them if they want to pour the milk themselves or want you to do it. Either way they still get milk. But it feels more like free choice. For lunch or dinner, you could have two options and ask them which meal they want.

Whatever they pick, you are already prepared, but they get to feel in control. You can even give them a choice of two new foods to get them to try new things. Older kids can take the lead when it comes to cooking a meal (and younger ones can help out, even if it might get messy!)

It can be a big job to get young children dressed in the morning. Giving them a little control over what they wear can help. Try giving them the choice of two outfits. You control their options but they make the decision. And whatever they choose, you’ll have a fully dressed child at the end of it!

Letting your wee ones pick their bedtime story is another easy win (even if you do end up reading the same thing every night, this can be really good for little minds). You can also try letting older kids read to their little brother or sister to end their day.

When your child follows the plan, praise them every time, for example if they put their toys away or do their homework without being asked. They will happily stick to the routine if they know it gets them positive attention. And if they do go off track, try to correct them in a consistent way too. It’ll help them remember more easily in future.

Weekdays usually mean things like getting ready and going to school, homework, dinner time and bedtime. Try to do these the same way every day. You can be more flexible at the weekend or during school holidays when you have more time to spare.

We all know how curious kids are. Some of them go through a phase where the only word they seem to know is “why?”. If you ever need to change the routine, be consistent in how you change it. Giving them a clear reason so they can understand and feel comfortable with the new plan is a great way to get them to agree without a fuss.

Plans are not just about getting the kids to school and into bed on time. They can be full of fun stuff too. The week might go a lot smoother if your kids can trust that Friday night is pizza night, or Sunday is a roast dinner with granny and grandad.

You don’t need to create a new routine all at once. Introducing one new habit at a time will stop you and the kids from getting overwhelmed.

Time pressure can cause stress for kids and can make any plan break down. Try a practice run so you understand how long the kids need to do different tasks, like getting everyone dressed for school or how long it takes to walk to their swimming class. As they get better at each task, you might find you have time to spare and less of a stress.

The more your kids understand what the routines are, the happier they’ll be doing them or helping out. Knowing what is expected will also lead to fewer arguments too. Be specific when you’re letting the kids know what they need to do. For example, instead of saying “You need to hoover today”, you could say “Please hoover the hall and sitting room today so that we have nice clean floors, and put the hoover away when you finish so no one trips over it”.

If the kids get involved in shaping the plan, they’re far more likely to stick to it. For example, you could let them choose which household chores they do, and when they do them. Do they prefer to have breakfast in their pyjamas and then get dressed or the other way round? And it’s not just about day to day things - why not let them choose which night is set aside for pizza and movies, or where you all go on a Saturday afternoon – park or swimming?

Help keep things in mind for you and the kids by writing down the things they need to do each day and putting them where the family can all see them. For younger kids you can leave notes in different places, like a note in the bathroom reminding them to brush their teeth. Pictures can help too. Just try to list tasks in little blocks (no more than 3 to 5).

Eventually, any new routines will become an automatic habit for your wee ones. You won’t even need to ask them. But it takes time. In the early days they’ll forget things, or struggle with certain tasks. Just keep gently reminding them and make sure to praise the small improvements.

Don't forget to schedule in fun too. And the better you plan the boring stuff, the more time there’ll be for fun! Make sure you build in time to spend time together as a family doing something you all enjoy.

This could be a really small thing like having a hug on the settee every evening, or something bigger like having a film night on Fridays. We have lots more suggestions for fun things to do for the family at home here.