How to create a routine for your child, step by step

1. Start with one moment of the day

Don't try to plan the whole day at once. Pick the moment that causes the most stress, usually getting ready for school or going to bed, and build a routine just for that.

Once your child is doing that one routine without reminders, add the next one.

2. Break it into small, clear steps

Write each step as one simple action your child can picture: "Brush your teeth", not "Get ready". Younger kids do best with 3 to 5 steps; older kids can handle 6 to 8.

• ✓One action per step
• ✓Always the same order
• ✓Steps your child can do alone

3. Give it a time and keep it the same every day

Routines work because they repeat. Keep the same start time and the same order on school days, and decide together what changes on weekends.

4. Make it visible

A routine your child can see is a routine they can follow without you. A chart on the fridge or an app on a tablet shows the next step, so you stop being the reminder.

5. Celebrate progress, not perfection

Notice each step done. Points that add up to a small reward, like a movie night or picking dinner, make the routine feel like a game instead of a chore.

When something slips, adjust the routine instead of the child: maybe a step is too big, or the timing is wrong.

Set it up in Houtine

1. 1

   Open Routines and tap New. Give it a name, like Get ready for school, and a start and end time.

2. 2

   Choose the days it repeats and the points it's worth, then choose who does it.

3. 3

   Add the steps in order. Your child sees one step at a time on their phone or tablet and checks each one off.

4. 4

   When the routine is done, you approve it and the points count toward rewards.

1:29

Create and edit a routine for your kids

Build the daily steps your kids follow, like getting ready for school: name, time, points, days and who does it. Then put the steps in order and change them any time.

Watch →

Questions parents ask