Working and Schooling at Home? Simplify Life with Family Routines

As the mother of 8 kids ranging in age from 14 to 26, I can tell you firsthand that one of the biggest reasons I still haven’t lost my mind (well, not completely!) is because of one secret weapon: routines.

Routines are your daily habits, the things you do the same way at the same time. They can help you balance your work and school schedules and provide structure at home. When it comes to family living, routines help children feel safe and secure because they can rely on certain things happening at certain times. Since routines help children know what’s expected, they're generally more cooperative. Through consistent repetition, routines can help build independence from a very young age that carries on right through to college.

Here are 7 simple steps to help you create a rock-solid daily routine.

1. Maintain morning routines … even when you're not going to leave the house

Morning routines set the tone for the whole day, even when you’re housebound and don’t have to rush out the door to work and school. Even now, with commuting temporarily out of the daily mix, decide what time your family will get up each day and stick to it.

Establish the routine of getting everything ready the night before so that your kids aren’t struggling to find clean pants, school supplies, and other necessities on the fly. This, in itself, can help keep your blood pressure at a very healthy level!

This is a difficult time for adults, but it's also extra scary for kids. Set an upbeat tone with smiles, kisses, and encouraging words each morning.

Have a healthy but easy breakfast menu ready to go for remote school and work days. Forget omelets and French toast—instead, be practical and have selections like oatmeal, toast and peanut butter, and a few hard-boiled eggs cooked in advance.

Finally, don’t forget to rally the troops and excitedly wish them a wonderful day in their new virtual world. This is a difficult time for adults, but it's also extra scary for kids. If you can set an upbeat tone with smiles, kisses, and encouraging words each morning, you’ll give them a positive start to the day.

2. Prepare and organize your day

I’ve found that the two keys to any successful routine are consistency and organization. Practicing your new schedule as faithfully as possible will teach family members what to expect so they can participate and stay on task.

When you're organized and prepared in advance, your routine has a much higher success rate, because you won’t be running around like crazy to pull it off.

Review your child’s virtual school itinerary and be sure all necessary supplies are out and ready. Keep extra headphones or earbuds on hand so...

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