Looks so perfect, like we have it all figured out, huh?
We don’t.
I ordered this dry erase board a few weeks ago just for this time of quarantine. I needed something “fluid.” We tend to hit an afternoon lull on most days around 2:00, so this board is for those “big” projects/activities that can eat up a pretty good chunk of time. Now ask me how many days we’ve actually adhered to these perfect plans.
We baked brownies on Monday, and we watched a family movie (during dinner!) on Tuesday. ??♀️ And we won’t even talk about the daily schedule! We haven’t stuck to that ONE DAY this week. Honestly, the weather has been so beautiful here in Atlanta, that we’ve spent most of our afternoons and evenings outside.
But even if that weren’t the case, what I’ve found is that having some kind of structure around our day helps with feelings of chaos, anxiety, and frustration. Even though we don’t follow the schedule religiously, when Davis starts getting antsy and cranky, it’s nice to be able to point to the schedule and say, “Ok. It’s reading time” or “You know what? We missed math time earlier because we let you play longer, so let’s do that now.” (see my recent post for a fun math activity)
When there’s structure, it’s harder for kids to debate and negotiate. That’s not to say they won’t (trust me, he has), but it makes it a lot easier to put your foot down and keep it down! ☺️ As a matter of fact, I had to revise our schedule at the very beginning to add “Nap” (Davis never naps) because the first day we implemented it, I told him that it was nap time, and he said, “That’s not on the list.” ? Challenge accepted, little buddy.
What’s working for your family? Do you find yourselves also hitting an afternoon lull?
*Disclaimer: I work more than 3 hours a day. ☺️ The schedule just shows blocks that typically need to be dedicated to work at those particular times.