Evening routines are essential to help wind down the family. It's important to establish not just morning routines but also evening ones. Try this challenge to create your evening routine. Your evening routine also supports your children by relaxing them and giving them time to decompress from the day.
This challenge is to help you set up an evening routine for you and your family. If your children are five or older, feel free to talk with them and ask them what they like to do in the evenings to incorporate their favorite things.
How to Create an Evening Routine?
First, determine what needs to be done in your evening routine. Ask yourself these questions:
What do your kids need to get done before going to bed?
What tasks will help your next day run more smoothly?
What helps you relax before you go to bed?
What helps your kids relax before going to bed?
Then, write down the tasks on a piece of paper for each person in your household. Each person should have their own tasks on their own paper. Cut the tasks into strips and put them in order that makes the task list flow naturally (like place all the bedroom tasks together) and tape them in the strips to another sheet of paper.
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Tip: Make your tasks specific before placing them on a piece of paper. Then when you cut up the tasks, it will be easier for you to order the tasks.
Now, it's time to add the routine. Starting on a Sunday seems to help make the routine easier to manage for the week. Make your evening routine important for everyone and keep to the schedule. It takes time to set a new habit, so stick with it.
Here is an example of an evening routine:
6:30 PM to 7:00 PM - Have a light snack like popcorn
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Get what is needed tomorrow together and place near pocketbook
8:00 PM to 9:00 PM - Watch a TV or read to relax
9:00 PM to 9:30 PM - Get ready for bed, brush teeth, etc..
Here is an example of of a kids evening routine:
6:30 PM to 7:00 PM - Get a snack
7:00 PM to 7:10 PM - Make lunch for tomorrow
7:15 PM to 7:30 PM - Clean up, put an instrument near backpack, and put the backpack in the hallway for tomorrow.
7:30 PM to 8:30 PM - Watch TV or video
8:30 PM to 9:00 PM - Take a shower, brush teeth, and get ready for bed
Then, hang up the newly created evening routine. You can place it on bedroom walls so it is easily accessible until everyone knows the new routine.
By making evening routines, you are preparing yourself for the next day. It will help you wind down before bed. It will help control the stress of running around in the morning to gather these items together as well. Try it and then, leave a comment below and let me know how it goes. Good luck.
Below are some additional posts I found online that talk about how to create an evening routine.
6 Tips to Build a Better Bedtime Routine
The evening routine essentials of the most productive people
Ellen Delap
Great idea! An evening routine is an important part of family life. A consistent evening routine makes for a great next day!
Sarah Soboleski
I'm a big fan of rules and routines too! I love this idea for kids as well. When I used to work in a children's residential program, we had a big, colorful bulletin board of their a.m. and p.m. routines. With the younger children we'd use pictures and they could move a little Velcro sticker along to mark their progress.
Jill Robson
You are so right Sabrina, an evening routine is just as important as a morning one. Ours is similar to yours.
Autumn Leopold
Great ideas here! We are 10 days away from summer vacation here so I need to sit down and work on how our days and evenings are going to go in the summer. Especially since I work from home. This will be the first summer I am working full time from home so I know I'll have to find a balance.