Many kids have a hard time when they don’t know the schedule or the plans for the day or even the week.
My kids used to ask me at least million times a day – What are we going to do after you pick us up from school? And then what? And after that? Who will we meet? What are the plans for tomorrow? And for the weekend? I found myself answering these questions over and over (and over…) and I got tired!
I knew that they needed to know because they feel more secure when they know what to expect, but it took a lot of energy (and patience) on my side.
So I decided to try something new – I bought a magnetic dry erase monthly scheduling calendar and a few markers. At the beginning of each month, I sit with my kids and write down all the activities and plans that we have for the month. We use a different color marker for each child so they can tell what are their activities in one glance.
Writing down all the activities not only helps them to see what is coming up, but it also allows them to take an active part in deciding what to do when, understanding time limits and help think of creative solutions when we have conflicts in our schedule. It is also an excellent opportunity to talk about possible plans changes, flexibility and the fact that sometimes we cannot fully control our schedule – it is a vital life skill! Try it!