A mark of being one of the best international schools in Manila is the capability to not only guide students in their academics, but also in their personal growth. However, a problem they often face comes in the form of poor time management due to their tendency to be distracted from activities like social media, chatting with friends, or playing with their peers. For this reason, it is imperative that they be able to develop their own schedule.
As a parent, you should guide your kids in accomplishing this task. Getting them to live right by eating well, sleeping on time, being in school and play are just some of activities that need to be incorporated and balanced each day. It may be exhausting, but don’t fret – we’re here to help. Here’s a simple guide to setting up a routine for your kids:
Make sure they get enough sleep
It is true that at times, children may have a hard time waking up early in the morning, especially if they stayed up late and did not get enough sleep the night before. To combat this, establish a fixed sleeping pattern so that your kids will develop the habit in the long run. For example, if they need to wake up at 7:00 AM, make sure that they are already asleep by 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM. Furthermore, ensure that the sleeping hours of your kids are appropriate to their age, which are as follows:
|
AGE |
HOURS OF SLEEP PER DAY |
|
1-3 years old |
12-14 hours of sleep per day |
| 3-6 years old |
10-12 hours of sleep per day |
| 7-12 years old |
10-11 hours of sleep per day |
| 12-18 years old |
8-9 hours of sleep per day |
Prepare everything the night before
One of the advantages of having an established routine is minimizing the errands that you need to do upon waking up. That saves you time and effort, which in turn will allow you to do more every morning.
It is indeed true that there are a number of things that you, as a parent, have to accomplish during the day – from going to the market, cooking meals, to cleaning the house. However, the work does not stop there.
There are several things you need to consider doing every night, which are the following:
- Choosing or ironing clothes
Choosing clothes is a simple task, however, some people take too much time in doing this. To hasten their morning routine, encourage your children to choose the clothes they want to wear the next day the night before. On the other hand, if it is a uniform, allocate time to iron your children’s clothes at night or teach them how to do it themselves.
- Prepare breakfast
Preparing breakfast should not be an arduous task. With simple preparation and organization, it can be done quickly. If possible, prepare the food the night before so that your kids can eat right away in the morning. You will definitely save time by doing so.
- Arrange your children’s things
One of the things that you should critically prepare the night before is arranging your children’s things. Ensuring that you and your kids have organized school books, notebooks, pens, pencils, and writing pads in their school bags. This will ultimately lessen the chance of your kids forgetting their school essentials at home.
Identify daily, weekly, and monthly chores
Juggling several tasks at once can be exhausting. However, with careful planning and proper scheduling, it can be done. That said, encourage your kids to make a list of all the chores that they need to do and categorize them accordingly – whether they be daily, weekly, or monthly tasks. Then, make sure that you shell out enough time to finish each of your tasks.
Given these facts, your kids will have a complete overview of the things that they will need to do within the week or within the month. Additionally, make sure to schedule a time for your children to take part in activities they enjoy so they don’t get burned out.
Key Takeaway
Having established effective routines will definitely help your kids go through their days with less hassle and less stress since their day is already laid out. Even better, get them involved in preparing for the days ahead – a great way to train them and a wonderful way to spend time together.
