How do your little ones start their day?

[Sophia]

Our schedules have been crazy this summer, and today it occurred to me that I have been terribly neglectful of engaging my little ones in meaningful activity.

 

Whatever that is.

 

I know what it's not~watching PBS for 2 hours in the a.m.

Don't ask me how or when that started :confused:.

 

Anyway, can you help out a mom who really should have some ideas by now?

 

Swim team has ended for the summer, so I no longer need to be out the door first thing in the morning.

 

I would love to know what the a.m. routine is for your 2, 3 and 5 year olds.

 

Thanks!

[iquilt]

Well, when mine were 5, 3 and 2 last year sometimes I was lucky just to get everyone dressed by noon :). But when everything worked fairly well after breakfast we would read together on the couch, everyone got to pick a book and I would read them. Sometimes that alone inspired some sort of art/craft activity or building blocks from the story. More often, however, I would spend the morning on the floor at their level while they brought me what they wanted to do. This year (oldest just turned 7) it's been a bit easier in that the 7 and 4 yo tend to find their own amusement after our morning books so that I can build a train track with 3yo or play cars. If it's nice outside we also spend some of our mornings out, even if it's just in the backyard digging dirt and looking for insects. We have a permanent place to do arts and crafts so that is a constant in our house, crayons and colored pencils, lots of coloring books and blank paper, construction paper and scissors, glue and tape. I also ignore all messes until just after lunch when we have a clean up time, that way they can get involved in a project for the morning. HTH

[Jami]

 

I know what it's not~watching PBS for 2 hours in the a.m.

Don't ask me how or when that started :confused:.

 

 

 

Well...umm...:blush:

 

Some mornings it is about an hour or so of PBS after breakfast, if mom is moving slowly.

 

I have a 7, 6 and 4 year old. They all get up around 7, ds wakes first and the others quickly follow. They drag dh out of bed to make them breakfast. I sometimes sleep later if I didn't sleep well at night or I just hide out in my room if I need that extra time.

 

I usually try and shower and be ready to face them when dh leaves around 8:30. If that hasn't happened, then PBS steps in.

 

Some mornings they go outside right away after breakfast before it's too hot.

 

Once I'm ready, I have them do a few chores (dishes, rooms, etc). Then they usually go off to play on their own for awhile. Unless it's a morning we have something planned (Bible Study on Tues, Library another morning...). Next week we'll start a month of swim lessons, so that will shape our morning routine quite a bit.

 

By 11:00 I usually have them eat lunch so that if we want to go swim, we're ready at 12:00.

 

Honestly though, if we're not doing any school, not even math, then other than an occasional read aloud together some mornings, I let them play, color, imagine to their hearts content...as long as they're getting along. Fighting means chores or separation for reading time.

 

 

It's not a very structured routine here these days. We'll be starting some lessons next week along with swimming, to ease back into a full school schedule by the beginning of August.

 

Jami

[BMW]

what helped when mine were that age was to brainstorm activities based on what we had on hand. We had little space, so I had bins of sorted toys/activities in the garage on shelves and we would rotate. So after breakfast and chores we would usually go on a walk and then play an activity... I thought it through and had a bit of schedule so it might have looked like:

Monday: play-doh and play kitchen toys

Tuesday: hot wheels, tractors, blocks

Wednesday: mountain railroad train set, board games

Thursday: draw, color, paint, etc.

Friday: lacing boards, stringing beads, play house

 

etc. Like I said, I spent the time brainstorming, looking at the toys and rotating them, and after that it was easier...

A friend of mine had a similar idea and had a "bored" list for her readers, when they needed something to do they went to the list and picked out what to do... arts/crafts, keyboard, games, cards, etc.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Bee