Children need the consistency of a structured routine to flourish, but a schedule can be hard to accomplish as a stay-at-home parent.
It’s easy to see how tantrums result from inconsistency. Why can’t special treats and trips happen every day? Why can’t your children watch more television even when you don’t have a deadline to meet?
This is where the advantage of daycare comes in! At Bright Start Louisville, we have a consistent daily and weekly schedule. Keep reading to learn how maintaining consistency benefits your child.
Helps Lower Anxiety
Anxiety results from not knowing the future. Although it seems like children shouldn’t have anything to be anxious about, children can experience anxiety when they don’t know what to expect in their day. Children who don’t know what to expect can react with obstinance or tantrums.
The best way to help relieve this anxiety is to give children a predictable, consistent routine. When children know what to expect, they feel safe and secure. This helps them flourish and reduce resistance to authority and tantrums.
Helps Children Engage in Learning
Children are more likely to be engaged in learning when they have a consistent routine. They know that the teacher sings a good morning song, that snack comes after reading aloud, and that naps happen after lunch. When a structure is immovable, children will be fully present in whatever activity they are doing. They won’t have anxiety about what is coming next or if the teacher will change her mind on a whim.
Be Sure to Stay Flexible
Of course, you can swing too far the other way and hold fast to a rigid routine. This isn’t good for children either! Flexibility is a necessary skill for adults and children alike, whether it’s an emergency meeting, a delayed bedtime, or accepting last-minute tickets to a baseball game.
How Do I Start?
Hopefully, you can see the benefit of a routine, how it reduces childhood anxiety, and how it can help minimize outbursts. But how can you start giving your child a routine?
First, pick two or three things you know you can be consistent with. Whatever you choose, pick something you know you can stick with for at least two months, which is the average time to form a new habit.
Finally, don’t forget to be flexible. Modeling an appropriate response to inconvenience or a change in schedule influences how your child will respond to similar situations in the future.
Structured Routine at Bright Start Louisville
We understand the importance of a structured routine at Bright Start Louisville while occasionally giving flexibility for special events. Each classroom has its own daily routine that meets the needs and capabilities of the age group. The children enrolled in Bright Start Louisville can count on our teachers and staff to consistently teach from our curriculum calendars and provide outings that they can look forward to.
Bright Start Louisville offers exceptional childcare to children six weeks to 12 years old. We’re proud to offer a fun and educational preschool program that prepares your child for kindergarten per state educational standards.
If you’re looking for excellent childcare that gives your child a head start in life, contact Bright Start Louisville today!
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