Morning routine, incorporating practical life in her routine!
These practical life skills are age appropriate for 3+yrs.
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The importance of practical life skills
The importance of practical life skills is connected to academic and life success. Practical life teaches children how to take care of themselves and the environment.
Practical life is connected to executive functioning skills; such as adaptable thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, working memory, time management, and organization.
Practical life it’s not “just” getting dressed or “just” pouring milk. The child is learning to follow a complex motor sequence, independently, in order to fulfill his or her own desires and needs. These skills, when taught early in life, allow children to believe in themselves as well as develop the self-discipline needed for success throughout their lives.
Incorporating life skills as part of a daily routine is a great way to help your child prepare for their future.
We want to raise strong and independent kids to be able to plan, organize, complete tasks, and to control their impulses and feelings.
Morning Routine | Incorporating Practical Life
- Go potty
- Wash hands and face
- Brush teeth
- Pray
- Make bed
- Get dressed
- Put dirty clothes in the hamper
- Brush hair
- Help make breakfast
- Set the table
- Put dirty dishes in the bin
- Free Play
Ways To Incorporate Practical Life Into The Morning Routine
Our morning routine usually begins between 7:30-8:00am.
Potty
My daughter is potty trained so this step we never skip. If you want to potty train your little one here is how we successfully potty trained my daughter using the Oh Crap Potty Method.
Wash hands and face and brush teeth
We have a step stool for her to use to wash hands, face, and brush teeth. Singing songs while your child brushes own teeth will encourage and motivate them to brush their own teeth. Tooth brushing does’t have to be boring, make it fun with these tooth brushing songs all you need to do is print them out and sing to your child.
Pray
Prayer is an essential part of a child’s spiritual development, as it helps them connect with God and develop a deeper understanding of their faith. Through prayer, children can gain peace, guidance, and comfort from God in times of need.
Make Bed
I recently added this chore to her routine, its really not that hard to do. All she does is stretch out her blanket and straighten her pillow. Takes her literally a minute to do. It’s not perfect but the point here is to follow a routine and accomplish the chore.
Get Dressed
We then move on with getting dressed. She picks out the outfit of the day and I encourage her to dress her self and if she needs my assistance with a zipper, button or anything I tell her to let me know to help assist.
Dirty Clothes in the Hamper
Having a little hamper in her bedroom is a WIN to keep clothes from being thrown on the floor.
Brush Hair
Then she walks over to her self-care station where she can brush hair, put on lotion, or any accessories she’s feeling like wearing that day. Creating self-care station for your toddler will bring amazing benefits for his/her development. It will create independence in everyday tasks and build their self confidence.
Help Make Breakfast
Then its breakfast time, I always try to include her making breakfast with me. When I know its something easy to make. Oatmeal, cereal, pancakes, waffles, are a great and easy breakfast to include your little ones. Here’s how to include your toddler in the kitchen.
Set the Table
Then she sets her table by putting the placemat and utensils.
I also allow her to pour milk in a cup, serve her self and independently eat.
Dirty Dishes in the Bin
This one is another new chore that I’ve added into her routine and its been working amazing. I simply put out a bin at her reach to put the dirty dishes and she takes them over to me to put in the sink.
Free Play (Unstructured Playtime)
Lastly, it is free play for her. Free play is for her to choose anything she likes to do whether it’s creating artwork, playing dress-up, or reading books.
Free playtime is any unstructured activity that inspires your child to use his or her imagination without constant adult direction.
Tips:
- Assign chores they can do completely by themselves – Keep it simple. Children LOVE to help! Try chores such as wiping tables, putting clothes in the hamper, feeding the pets, or making bed. Children will be proud of themselves that they can do it without help.
- Allow for plenty of practice time and try different methods of teaching certain skills – Make time in your schedule to give extra time to practice new skills. Do not try to teach new skills when you are running out the door in the morning. Try different ways of teaching skills.
- Modify the environment so children can be independent – For example, provide a stool at the sink so children can reach the water to wash their hands, get a drink or brush their teeth.
One super helpful tip to continue to encourage independence is to follow a routine. Children will know what is expected of them in the morning, after school and evening.
Don’t forget to get your free morning routine printable!
The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
Denis Waitley