Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ben's 18m Routine

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I’ve been “pondering” (and putting into practice) the difference between a schedule and a routine. Right now I’m still not ready to share my final thoughts on what I believe the difference to be but since I was typing out Ben’s Daily Routine for myself I thought I’d go ahead and share it.

Ben’s Daily Routine – 18 months

Morning

Rise and Shine
Read with Mom
Breakfast
Free play or assigned activity with Aaron
Play yard
Snack
Video in chair
Lunch
Nap

Afternoon

Read with Mom
Snack
Free play or assigned activity with Bethany
Play yard
*Free play with Bess/time with Mom
*Video in chair
Dinner
Bath

Evening

Free play with Caleb (or assigned activity)
Play yard
**Free time with Family
Snack/dinner with Family
Free time with family
**Chair
Bedtime

You probably noticed that all the activities repeat. That is because it is easy for me and creates a sense of routine -constancy - for Ben. In other words, he knows what to expect when. In my mind consistency, order and routine = peace of mind for both of us. First we do this, then this, then this and it repeats three times a day. The actual time of day (as in the hour) does not matter as much as that things are relatively the same most days.

Now you are wondering about the older children’s assigned activities and what they are? The activities vary depending on the child, but basically each child (Aaron, Bethany, Caleb) is required to read to Ben (2 books a day) and to do a specific activity with him each day – play catch, stickers, blocks, coloring, puzzles, etc. The activity varies and is assigned weekly. They do the same activity with Ben each day all week although they are free to be creative (within reason). They are also assigned words to teach him. For example if their activity is to play ball with him, then their word for the week is “ball”.


Ben “talks” a lot and in what sounds like complete sentences, but none of his “talking” until this week has made any sense. This week he said his first real word, “uh-oh!” He says something like “mumm, mummm” for mom or sometimes "maaa, maaa, maaa". He does not say "da,da". Yesterday he spoke to me for a full minute - a long string of sounds but none of it made any sense. He was looking at me and pointing at something as well, but...it is almost as if he has created his own language. His brothers and sisters all talked -at least one or two words- and signed by 15 months. Ben knows a few signs as well. But, he doesn't use them consistently - which is more my fault than his.

A Few Final Thoughts and Notes:

I do have a few "almost" non-negotiable times that I follow - nap is at 11:30 am and bedtime is 8:00 pm. (Ben's naptime will change as he gets older. Right now he is still transitioning from two naps to one so an earlier nap works best. Eventually his nap will start around 12:00 or 1:00 pm. Naps usually last for 2-3 hours.) The "almost" refers to life happening. I no longer worry about my babies missing a nap because we are out or at church or because we had lunch later than normal. I just go with the flow and the baby naps as soon as we get back from wherever we went or finish whatever we were doing. I've also come to believe that it is important for children to learn to sleep in different locals - other than their crib. This makes trips and times when the child needs to nap away from home a much more pleasant experience.)

*These two activities might switch depending on the day and how busy I am.
** As time allows or as needed to calm down and get ready for bed.

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