I’m all about schedules. I don’t always stick to them as well as I’d like to, things come up…or I just get lazy :/ But I really do like a basic schedule that we follow daily, mainly because it helps the kids know what to expect throughout the day. So this is my version of a kid friendly schedule. Something easy for them to look at and understand what should be happening or what’s coming up in the day.
First I’ll give you the “how to” then I’ll tell you how it works.
{HOW TO}
I found a bunch of random clipart from doing a Google search (I don’t have any clipart credit, because honestly I didn’t think about it when I was making it). If you want to use the same clipart I used, you can get it HERE. The squares about about 3/4” square.
[top row L-R: quiet time/nap time, lunch, church, play with friends. 2nd row L-R: clean house, dinner, watch tv, play outside.
3rd row L-R: brush teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, bedtime. last row L-R: library, grocery shopping, preschool, job chart.]
Print. Then I laminated. Not a must, but definitely keeps it nicer for longer (especially with the little sticky, dirty fingers that will be sure to grab them!). I love my laminator, which is Scotch brand and you can get it easily at Walmart or order it online from Amazon (don’t forget to throw in some laminating sheets).
Once laminated, cut them out and it’s time to assemble. I bought a $6 clock from Target and some Scotch branch velcro circles (5/8”).
To keep it really easy for the kids to read & figure out what is on the schedule, I put the velcro buttons (I used the hook side) on the clock on the hour (right by the number) and on the 1/2 hour (in between the numbers).
Then of course, put the opposite velcro on the back of the clipart squares (I used the loop side)
Then put them on the clock! At, or about, the time you plan on doing those things.
On the back of the clock I put the remaining velcro buttons so I could easily store the clipart squares I don’t need for the day.
Super easy to make!! Now I’ll tell you how it works, or at least how I use it in our house.
{HOW IT WORKS}
When the boys wake up, I tell them to look at the clock and see what the LITTLE hand is pointing at. Throughout the day I try to ask them only when it’s on the hour or half our, since that is how I set it up. They see what it’s pointing at and get to it. When there’s a big gap in the schedule it means that the particular activity/event will take that long until the next activity/event, or they can pick what they want to do during that time. Luckily they are only awake for 12 hours, so doing this clock schedule is perfect!
Because not every day is the same, I change things around the night before so that in the morning, they can jump right in. It’s pretty easy for the kids to get, and it helps them start figuring out how to use a clock & to stay on a schedule. Pretty soon I will need to add some new clipart squares, for all the random things they have to do like “doctor appt”, “dentist appt”, “soccer”, etc.
{C is for Clock}
I made this because I wanted to get on a better schedule, but also it was for our C is for Clock preschool day. My oldest boy (4 years old) now knows that when the big hand is at the 12, that you say it’s “something” o’clock. So when he looks at the schedule clock, he can tell me what we are doing and what the actual time is!
