3 Reasons Why Kids Need Routine

Istation’s mission has always been to help students succeed and grow, and in uncertain times, that support is even more important. With that in mind, Istation has launched a new video series: Red Cape Classroom.

Red Cape Classroom offers brief,  insightful, and actionable tips for at-home instruction during the transition to remote learning. The content is geared toward parents with elementary school-aged children at home. Segments are led by Istation professional development experts who are former educators (and parents).

We kick off this blog series with Joyce Cullop’s Red Cape Classroom segment “Why Kids Need Routine and Its Impact on Academic Performance.” Joyce is an Istation professional development specialist and former elementary teacher. She and her two grandchildren talk about establishing and maintaining a routine at home.

“First of all, keeping a routine to help organize life at home is very important. We don’t want things to become chaotic,” Joyce said. In this segment we learn that routines are important for everyone, especially children, and here’s why.

1. Children thrive on routine. Children follow a lot of routines during their day. They wake up at the same time each day, eat breakfast, and go to sleep at roughly the same time each day. They thrive when they know what’s going to happen next.
2. It’s good to keep learning. With schools closed, parents don’t want children to lag behind in academic performance. Joyce and her grandchildren talk about important things they need to cover each day. They work together to develop a schedule that works for them so learning can continue as closely to normal as possible.
3. Routine reduces anxiety. Parents might be working from home in addition to teaching their children. Routines help keep activities throughout the day consistent. Joyce recommends including time in your routine where children have activities that they can do on their own while parents work.

Knowing what’s next in a day can help keep us all feeling comfortable and stable. Watch the full video “Why Kids Need Routine and Its Impact on Academic Performance” here.

For more parent tips, check out Istation’s YouTube playlist “Red Cape Classroom: Educator Tips for Home-Based Instruction.” Visit the playlist to find all of the videos included in the Red Cape Classroom series.