Need help making DD's nightly schedule

[T. Lynn]

I'm having a hard time getting DD (age 8) on track getting to bed at 9:00 every night. I need to start a schedule, print it out and stick to it.

Do you have a nightly schedule that you'd share (homework, playtime, bath, bedtime snack, bedtime, etc)?

I'd love to read what others are doing that is working to help me get started. Any help would be greatly appreciated...

 

[sk!mom]

My Kids are now 23 and 12 but I'm big on schedules and routines and we never had any bedtime issues.

I'm a big believer in doing homework immediatly after school. Waiting never worked for us for a couple of reasons: 1. It's hard to relax with work hanging over you and I always wanted my kids to learn - "work before play." 2. You never know when a seemingly simple homework assignment is going to morph into something much larger and when your tired it becomes even harder and then your evenings ruined.

Having said that, here's the schedule that got two kids through elementary-

Quick snack
Homework
Free time or some extracurricular activity
Dinner
bath
Quiet free time
Into bed 15 minutes before desired sleep time. Mom or Dad then take turns reading for 15 min. to child who is all tucked in.
Lights out- no getting up.

For my kids, once they hit Middle and then High School things had to become more flexible as extra curriculars take up more and more time. By then though they were so used to a schedule that they put themselves to bed when they were done for the night.

Good Luck!

 

[laurafergie]

Ditto on the schedule!

I have 4 children and a foster DD too. Ages 21, 17, 17, 9 and 5. (DS21 now lives on his own at college) Everyone has a schedule who is at home.

DD9's schedule is:

Homework while eating small snack
Reading on her own for 20 min (She won't otherwise)
Practice piano for 30min (Includes play activities for theory on computer)
Chores (Feed dogs, Vacuum floors, empty bath waste baskets)
Free Time
Dinner
Bath
"Movie Time" at 8pm (Picks a movie and watches in her room w/ DD4)
Lights out 9:30 pm

Now granted - I am home when she gets home at 3:30pm. So Moms that work outside the home, would have to squish the times. But I worked outside the home with my older kids, and if anything I was MORE schedule oriented.

You are doing your daughter a favor in learning how to manage her time wisely.

Print the schedule up and make it HER responsibility to follow it. Make sure you have consequences in place if she doesn't. (In my house fines work very well - $1 for DD9 for every reminder, $5 for the teenagers - Believe me, when you actually take their money they learn to remember VERY well )

 

[Sorsha]

Here is our basic schedule for our 3 DDs. Subject to change when activities interfere.

3:30 - 6 = Home from school, snack, PBS TV, free play time
6-6:30 = Dinner
6:30 - 7:00 = After dinner chores; empty dishwasher, take care of pets, take out trash, etc
7:00 - 8:30 = Baths and free play time for younger DDs, homework time for eldest DD. DD5 never has homework, if DD8 has any it is practicing spelling words, or doing some reading practice, and she does it during this time. This is also our story reading time.
8:30 = DD5 and DD8 choose a movie and watch it in their room while they are in bed with lights out. They are always asleep by 9:30, at the latest. They both know they aren't allowed to get out of bed unless they need to use the bathroom or it is an emergency. And they only get 1 movie per evening, so they know if they pick something short and it ends before they fall asleep, they are out of luck.
8:30 - 10:00 = Quiet free time for DD14. Her "lights out" is 10.

 

[Savsmommy]

This is basically my DD8 schedule.

2:30 - Home from school
3:00 - snack
4:00- homework
5:30- Dinner
6:00-8:00 - Soccer Practice
8:30- shower
9:00 - bed time

 

[1PrincessMomma1]

My Kids are now 23 and 12 but I'm big on schedules and routines and we never had any bedtime issues.

I'm a big believer in doing homework immediatly after school. Waiting never worked for us for a couple of reasons: 1. It's hard to relax with work hanging over you and I always wanted my kids to learn - "work before play." 2. You never know when a seemingly simple homework assignment is going to morph into something much larger and when your tired it becomes even harder and then your evenings ruined.

Having said that, here's the schedule that got two kids through elementary-

Quick snack
Homework
Free time or some extracurricular activity
Dinner
bath
Quiet free time
Into bed 15 minutes before desired sleep time. Mom or Dad then take turns reading for 15 min. to child who is all tucked in.
Lights out- no getting up.

For my kids, once they hit Middle and then High School things had to become more flexible as extra curriculars take up more and more time. By then though they were so used to a schedule that they put themselves to bed when they were done for the night.

Good Luck!

Thats our schedule. Works great for us.

 

[paula70]

Both of my DD's (8 and 11) go to bed at 9:00. Every night at 8:00 they get ready for bed, jammies, teeth brushed, clothes and backpacks ready for tommorrow etc. Then by 8:15-8:30 they have to be in bed reading.

Reading is a great way to relax and wind down for the day! It quiets them down even if they're all "riled up" from the nights activites. I love my peaceful house after 8:00!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Here is DD9's usual schedule:

2:45 home from school

3:00-3:30 - snack, can watch one TV show if she is not grounded (no DS or Wii at this time because it doesn't have a definite "end" time)

3:30 - all homework done except for nightly reading

free time or activity once homework is done

dinner is usually around 6:00, depending on activity and what time DH gets home

family dog walk, free time

8:00 bath and get ready for bed

8:30-9:00 - reading

9:00 lights out

If she is particulary tired or grumpy, the bath gets moved to 7:30 and reading is from 8-8:30 with lights out at 8:30.

 

[T. Lynn]

I love the idea of reading before bed like that. She needs to have 15 min of reading every night but I've been having her do that when she's done her homework. Think I might change that now...

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

My boys (7 & 4) have been on bedtime schedules since birth. I think (I'll guess) that's why they are good sleepers.

DS7 is home by 3:45.
Snack, and plays for awhile in the house.
4:15 homework (usually a worksheet and 20 minutes of reading)
4:45ish outside to play until dinner
6:00ish dinner
After dinner, feed the dog than do whatever till shower time
7:45 shower
8:00 DS4 into bed while DS7 goes into bed w/me and/or DH to watch TV
8:30 into his own bed

I think they key is sticking to it. Really, since birth we've done dinner/play/bath/bed. And we always kept it early. I have friends who let their kids (7 and 2) stay up until whenever, literally whenever. Sure, on the weekends we are more care-free about bedtimes, but not too much more. I can't remember a time they were up past 10.
My boys need their sleep. Well rested kids usually equals happy kids.

 

[mjkacmom]

My kids do homework right after school, we have dinner/activites, take showers at some point, and at 8, I tell them to go upstairs, brush teeth, and I tuck them in (at 8). My 2 older kids go to bed about 9. I've never had any problems getting my kids to bed, probably because we didn't have a long, drawn out ritual - even when they were babies, tucking them in took about 30 seconds, and they were out.

 

[Kitzka]

DD has lots of afterschool activities so her schedule varies a bit but I don't have her read before bed as then she will be conditioned to be tired when reading. She has to read 30-45 pages a night and also has to write a 2 page response on what sghe ahs read. but generally our schedule is:

3:30school lets out she goes to aftercare
3:30-4:30-does home work in aftercare
5-5:30-dinner
5:30-7:30 after school activites
7:30-8 quick snack and some down time
8-8:45 more homework-usually the reading
9pm in bed

DD is in 5th grade and they have ALOT of homework. there are some nights where she skips her after school activities and just work on homework for the additional 2 hours.

Lara

 

[MoniqueU]

My kids don't do homework right after school with the exception of my oldest dd on M and W because water polo is from 6 30 to 8 30 and she is tired after it.

We come home from school and have a snack and then play or decompress or hang out with friends until it gets dark. My MIL was a teacher and said it is hard on kids who have just spent 8 hours in school to come home and get right back started on more school work and that they need a break.

We don't do dinner til my son is home from football practice around 6 or 6 30.
Then sometimes it is more swimming and then homework shower and bed. My kids read in bed and do their own tests on their computers to earn the points the teachers decide for them to earn for reading.
Schedule subject to change but it works for us. My kids are still on honor roll and get lots of down time and time to be kids.

 

[sk!mom]

My boys need their sleep. Well rested kids usually equals happy kids.

This is very true. I'm a teacher and I can tell you that there is a strong relationship between kids with behavior or educational issues and the amount of sleep they get. If a child is struggling in any area a good starting place to helping them is to make sure that they are getting enough sleep. Guidelines for Elementary aged children usually recommend 10 hours a night. This is sleep time too- not time in bed reading or watching TV.

I've always followed these guidelines with my children. My 12 year old gets the recommended 9 hours every night and on her busiest days will sometimes conk out earlier.

 

[golfgal]

Maybe you could post what you do and we can help you modify what you do now vs starting something completely new?

 

[Pooh Crew]

Having said that, here's the schedule that got two kids through elementary-

Quick snack
Homework
Free time or some extracurricular activity
Dinner
bath
Quiet free time
Into bed 15 minutes before desired sleep time. Mom or Dad then take turns reading for 15 min. to child who is all tucked in.
Lights out- no getting up.

For my kids, once they hit Middle and then High School things had to become more flexible as extra curriculars take up more and more time. By then though they were so used to a schedule that they put themselves to bed when they were done for the night.

Good Luck!

This is very close to what we do, too. I have 8 yr old triplets (who will be 9 this month!) and a 7 yr old and we loooove a schedule. They get 30 minutes to decompress after school, have a snack if they are hungry, then start homework (practice math or spelling if no real homework). I use that 30 minutes to go through their folders and pull out paperwork, see what we need to work on, etc. Once homework is finished, they can play until dinner which is between 6 and 6:30 every night. After dinner, they can play until about 7:30, then they get their clothes for the next day and take showers/baths. At 8pm, they make sure they have everything they need for the next day, then it's off to brush teeth and find a book to read. My kids are all in bed at 8:30 and can read until they fall asleep--usually around 9pm. We try to read every night because it helps them relax.

When they have activities, we do the homework part in the car or on the sidelines for anyone not participating.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It's taken us a few years to get this down to a science, but it's working well now. I have two 5th graders.

They're allowed 1/2 hr after school to go out and play with their friends. After that, they have to come in and do their homework, then reading, then guitar. Then, it's dinner, and if there's still light outside then can go out again for a little while. Later, they clean up, get things ready for next day, and have time on their own until bedtime.

The only activity they have during the week is CCD (one hour mid-week). Sports, guitar lessons and other activities are on the weekends. It just got too crazy and stressful running around here and there on weekdays. Now, it's much more manageable and pleasant for everyone.