A Stay At Home Schedule for Life with Young Children

Whoever said “the days are long but the years are short” must have been a stay at home parent with you children. Sometimes the days can seem to drag.While you may treasure this time at home with your child, it can also be a challenge – especially for first-time parents adjusting to this new way of life. Creating a loose stay at home schedule can help you find a rhythm and make the days not feel endless.

Here are 5 things you can build your day around to help your days at home feel meaningful and manageable.

1. Set Up Play Stations

Even young babies can get bored. It can be helpful to create different play areas in your living space. A jumperoo, a play mat, and even the high chair can provide access to different vantage points, and a variety of toys to explore. Move your baby around these stations periodically and rotate your baby’s toys so they always have a different toy to interact with. In the morning put out a different toy that they haven’t played with in awhile. Check out pinterest for different activities you can do with your kids. Scheduling one new activity every few days can help the time at home fly by.

2. Exercise & Outdoor Time

Children require two hours of physical activity each day. Adults need thirty. If this need isn’t met, we often see behavioral problems or sleep issues. This is a cumulative amount, however, so it can be scheduled in chunks. Sometimes exercise can be done inside the home: climbing a Nugget, a kids exercise video like GoNoodle or Cosmic Kids Yoga, or a game of Simon Says. If you’re headed outside, you can go to a playground, or go for a walk.

3. NapTimes or Quiet Time

Most likely your stay at home schedule will largely revolve around nap time(s) or quiet time. If your kiddos are napping, take that time for yourself. If that’s a time you need to work from home, try to make it as comfortable as you can. Children who have stopped napping should have a daily quiet time, where they are required to play or rest for at least 45 minutes in their rooms. This time will be so beneficial for your child to recharge and for you to have some time, too. When you’re a stay at home parent this time can be critical for helping you show up as your best self and not feel so depleted. If your child struggles with a nap, schedule a call with us.

4. Meal Times & SnackTimes

Feedings, meals, and snack times naturally fall at consistent times during the day, for the most part. Similar to nap and quiet times, meal times will become a consistent part of your stay at home schedule that your day revolves around. Once meals and sleep have been accounted for it is easy to fit other activities or adventures outside the home into your schedule.

5. Book Look Time

It is never too early to develop literacy skills. A variety of picture and board books can be engaging for even young babies. Lay your young baby in a Boppy pillow and read to them and watch how engaged they can be! Once your baby is a bit older, turning board book pages can be a great fine motor skill activity. At only months old many babies will show a preference to a choice between two books by looking, or reaching for one book over another book. Books can even be stacked or knocked down during playtime. Reading a book is also a great activity for the bedtime routine to help your child wind down. I highly recommend building some reading/book time into your stay at home schedule.

Your Stay At Home Schedule in a Nutshell

Kids love visuals, and they are helpful in keeping you on track too. Post your stay at home schedule and draw pictures or attach photographs so younger children who don’t read can use it too. Start with mealtimes and any nap times that are not flexible, then add in time slots for free play, family time, and everything else.

Here’s an example schedule for a toddler or child:

Breakfast
Self-care: brush teeth, get dressed, etc.
Household chores/Learning activities (here are some ideas that you can do with your kids)
Play outside
Lunch
Rest/nap time
Family story time
Play outside or active games inside
Learning activities/Play
Dinner
Bath time, brush teeth, pajamas
Story time and bedtime

Creating a schedule for staying at home with young children can feel daunting and it can help your days to become routine. Once you have a schedule it can be easier to plan things outside the home and you may find that they days that felt long, start to fly by!