How to Create an Awesome Family Routine: My Best Tips

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Looking to tame the chaos and make life a little more organized? Learn my best tips on how to create an awesome family routine.

You and I both know it…

Mom life can be pretty hectic. Balancing work, chores, kids, meals, friends, family, and all the things can be a lot.

And the more kids you have, the more the chaos multiplies. That’s why it really pays to create a solid family routine.

When I finally started implementing one in our house, it made life a lot easier. We’re all happier, the house runs smoother, and I’m no longer pulling my hair out every day.

So, how exactly do you create an awesome family routine? Read on for some of my best tips!

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Why You Need a Family Routine

Before we tackle how to create a solid family routine, let’s talk about why you need one. It can be really easy to fall into a habit of just dealing with things as they come along.

Spontaneity and going with the flow sounds nice in theory, but in reality, it often creates more stress than having a proper routine. Here are some of the benefits of creating a good family routine:

Fosters independence

The first benefit of having a regular family routine is it fosters independence for your kids. When kids know what to expect day after day, they can become more self-reliant and independent.

A regular family routine eliminates the need for you to constantly remind them of what needs to be done. They know what chores and activities to do because they’re used to the routine.

For example, one part of our family routine is that we have Cleaning Day on Fridays. My kids are so used to the routine that as soon as they wake up, they start cleaning and doing their chores.

They do it all on their own because it’s part of our routine and they know what’s expected of them.

Makes children feel safe and secure

Another benefit of having a family routine is that it helps your children feel safe and secure. According to the Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, schedules and routines help children:

• Feel in control of their environment
• Feel safe, secure, and comfortable
• Know what is happening now and what comes next
• Know how to do an activity or task
• Engage in learning

As parents, we want to create a nurturing and safe environment for our kids. Having a family routine can really help with this by giving them a sense of security and normalcy.

Less chaos in your day

Another benefit of having a family routine is that it reduces the stress and chaos in your day. Managing children is tough. I’ve been a working mom, stay-at-home mom, and work-from-home mom and every version has come with some sort of chaos.

Having a solid family routine really helps to add structure to your day and reduce some of the craziness. You’ll know what needs to be done and when which makes it easier for you to manage your day.

Teaches time management skills

The last reason I think you should really consider having a family routine is because it teaches time management skills to your kids. Learning how to manage their time can help kids later in life when they have to juggle multiple tasks and activities.

When your child is used to following a routine and schedule, it’s much easier for them to learn how to prioritize tasks and manage their time effectively.

A family routine is one of the best ways to start teaching this skill at an early age.

Daily Routine Vs a Schedule

A common question that comes up with creating a family routine is what’s the difference between a daily routine vs a schedule.

A daily routine is a list of all the tasks your family needs to complete throughout the day. This can include things like brushing teeth, getting dressed, and doing chores. All these activities form part of your family’s daily routine.

A routine will often have a specific order of when things need to be done but doesn’t necessarily keep a strict timeline.

On the other hand, a schedule is a timeline or plan for how those tasks are completed. It typically includes what time certain activities should be completed.

I personally prefer to use a routine versus a schedule because it allows for more flexibility in our day, but you can use whichever option works best for your family.

How Do You Create a Family Routine

Now that you know why having a family routine is important and the difference between a daily routine vs a schedule, let’s get into how to actually create one.

Creating a family routine is not an overnight process. It takes time and patience, but it’s totally worth investing the effort for all the benefits it brings!

Create a list of everything that needs to be done each day

The first thing you need to do is create a list of everything that needs to be done each day. This includes any chores, all hygiene activities, meals, school work, leaving the house… everything!

It might sound silly to write down things like driving to the store or switching over the laundry, but one thing I’ve realized is that the little things matter.

If you don’t account for the time it takes to drive to soccer practice or even the amount of time it takes to get ready to leave the house with 3 kids for soccer practice, it’s going to throw off your whole routine.

The more you include in your initial list, the better you’ll be able to create a functional and realistic list that actually works in your day-to-day life.

Decide in what order things need to be done

Next, you’ll put all the tasks in order. I like to look at my routine a week at a time. Some activities need to be done once a day, but some are only done once a week.

By looking at the whole week at a glance, it helps me make sure I’m evenly spreading out my weekly tasks throughout the week, so no one day gets too overloaded.

Once you’ve got the tasks spread out throughout the week, put things in the order that you’d like to do them for each day.

Now you’ve created the base for your family routine!

Introduce the routine to your family

The next step is to introduce the routine to your family. I highly recommend sitting down and explaining to everyone what the routine is and why you think it will help the family.

You can take any questions and see if anyone has suggestions for the routine. Having your children and partner put some input into the routine will help give them some ownership of it.

It’s now not just something you’re making them do, but something they’re helping to create. This will help make them more likely to follow and stick with it.

Display the routine

Once you’ve finalized your family routine with everyone, it’s time to display it. Displaying the routine is important to help encourage that independence we talked about as well as make your life easier.

It’s going to take some time for everyone to get used to the routine. This means if your kids can’t easily see the routine for themselves, they’ll be asking you 50 times a day what they should be doing.

That gets old really fast!

The best way to prevent this is to create some sort of chart or printable and display the routine in a central location (I like to put ours in the kitchen) so that everyone can easily check it when needed.

If you have younger children, it helps to put pictures next to each task on the routine. That way even kids who can’t read yet, will know what they need to do.

Consider easing into it

If your family hasn’t had a consistent routine before or the new routine is a big shift from the previous one, it can be helpful to ease into it. Instead of completely shifting everything to the new routine, start with just a few things at a time.

I recommend starting with things like wake-up times, meal times, or bedtimes. These are the backbone of your routine and by getting them established, it’ll be easier to add in the other tasks.

Start with just one of these at a time, and once everyone is used to it move onto the next one. This will help make it less overwhelming for everyone!

Reevaluate as needed

The last step in creating a family routine is to reevaluate your routine as needed. I’m always open to changing parts of our routine when necessary to make sure it’s still a good fit for our family.

As time goes by, things will change. Your kids might get older, someone might start a new sport, maybe some changes with school, etc.

What was working for you at one time might not fit so well as things change. Be open to looking at your family routine and making adjustments as needed.

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Example of a Family Routine

Here is an example of our current family routine. Just for some context, we’re a homeschooling family of 5 and I work part time in and out of the house.

You can use this example for your own family or to help inspire your own routine.

Daily Family Routine

8:30am – Wake up, get dressed, and walk the dog.

9:00am – Morning chores for mom while the kids wake up and have breakfast.

9:45am – Kids start their schoolwork while mom has breakfast.

10:00am – Mom works while the kids do schoolwork. Periodically I will help answer questions for the older girls while my youngest son plays.

1:30pm – Lunch for everyone

2:00pm – Sit down and do schoolwork with my youngest.

3:30pm – Time to rest and relax before mom goes to work.

4:00pm – Mom goes to work while dad comes home and hangs out with the kids.

6:30pm – Dinner and evening sports.

9:00pm – Time to get ready for bedtime. This includes bedtime a snack, baths, evening chores, and winding down.

10:00pm – Bedtime

This is our basic routine family routine. We have some days where we have sports during the day, meetup groups with other homeschool families, and sometimes I have meetings. But this is the basic routine that we follow and adjust as needed.

Tips for Implementing a Family Routine

At this point, I’ve shared plenty about how to create an awesome family routine that will hopefully help add some peace and order to your day-to-day life.

However, one of the most important parts is actually getting everyone to follow the routine. Here are a few tips that will help make the transition go smoothly.

Be realistic

When implementing your family routine, one of the most important things you want to do is be realistic when you make it. Don’t make a family routine according to who you hope your family is. Make one for who they actually are.

Don’t overpack your mornings if you struggle to get out of bed on time. Don’t plan for just 30 minutes for bedtime if you know it takes an hour to wrangle everybody in bed.

Be as realistic as possible about what you think you can actually stick with on a regular basis. You don’t have to be perfect when it comes to sticking to your routine, but it will be a lot more effective and beneficial for everyone if it’s something you can follow through with on most days.

Include your top priorities first

My next tip for implementing your family routine is to write down your top priorities first. What are the things that are most important for your family to get done each day? Make sure those are top of the list.

For our family that’s things like schoolwork and keeping the house tidy. I make sure that those things are put on the routine before I add in things like going to a park or having an afternoon movie day.

Don’t forget travel time and mealtimes

When creating your routine don’t forget about travel time and mealtimes. It’s easy not to think about those things because they don’t necessarily involve an activity, but they can take up a lot of time.

If you need to go somewhere during the day for something like errands, sports practice, or school pick up it’s important that you factor in travel time. You won’t be able to plan exact times since traffic can vary but try your best to estimate how long it will take and add it to your routine.

Meal times are also something you should include in your family routine. This can be especially important if you have a tight schedule that needs to be followed.

Allow time for your kids to be kids

As I mentioned before, an important part of implementing a great family routine is making it something that your kids can actually stick to. Which means, it should definitely include time for your kids to just relax and be kids.

They’re not meant to have every moment of their day structured. In fact, it’s much better for their development if they have time to play, explore, and get creative.

If your family routine is too rigid and doesn’t allow for enough free time it can be hard for anyone in the family to stick to it. So make sure there are some blocks of time that are left open so everyone has a chance to relax and just have fun.

Be flexible

The next tip I have for implementing an awesome family routine is to be flexible. Don’t feel like you need to stick to it rigidly each and every day.

There will be days when you won’t be able to do everything on your list or some things may take longer than expected. That’s totally fine! Just try your best to stick to the routine as much as possible and adjust when needed.

Make it fun where you can

The last tip I have is to try and make it fun where you can. Yes, routines are important for helping keep things organized but that doesn’t mean they have to be dull.

Try your best to add in some activities that everyone enjoys doing together or even just by themselves. That could include anything from going on a family walk before breakfast, playing board games together after dinner, having a movie night every now and then, or planning an outdoor picnic.

Whatever it is, try your best to make sure there are some fun activities included in your family routine that everyone looks forward to. This will help make sticking to the routine more enjoyable for everyone.

FAQs on How to Create an Awesome Family Routine

Still have a few questions about how to create a family routine? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions.

What is a normal family routine at home?

Every family is different and there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to creating a normal family routine. It really depends on what your family needs and wants.

Generally, most families have some sort of morning routine, school day routine, and evening routine that includes breakfast, school/work activities, lunch/dinner, playtime or sports activities, getting ready for bed, and winding down for the night.

What are the activities of a family routine?

The activities that are included in a family routine can vary depending on the needs of your family. Here are some activities that often show up in a family routine:

• Wake up
• Get ready for the day
• Chores (morning or evening)
• Bathing
• Brush teeth
• Mealtimes
• Schoolwork
• Homework
• Sports or after-school activities
• Family time
• Spiritual study
• Bedtime routine

Conclusion to How to Create an Awesome Family Routine: My Best Tips

There you have my best tips for creating an awesome family routine. I hope these tips help reduce the chaos and stress in your day-to-day life.

What does your family routine look like? Let us know in the comments below or email me at Admin@atouchofhomeschooling.com. Follow me on Pinterest for more homeschool and parenting advice.

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