“What am I supposed to do with my kids all day? I’m not a teacher.” I remember frantically thinking a few days after resigning from my full-time job. And then I actually spoke my fears about being a stay-at-home mom out loud to my 3-year-old’s teacher. Ms. Carol wisely looked at me before saying, “Your girls will be fine. You can do this. The same block scheduling we follow at school can work at home, too.”
Block scheduling turned out to be easier to recreate at home than I thought. It’s a daily plan of activities for your child broken down into chunks of time. Planning your days ahead of time reduces your stress and supports your child’s development. Follow these 5 steps to create a visual schedule for a preschooler that provides structure and predictability to your day.
1. Start with your child’s sleep times and mealtimes.
During a certain season of parenting, your world revolves around sleep schedules and food. You are in the thick of that season right now. It’s why you build your family’s schedule for a preschooler around sleep, snack, and breakfast-lunch-dinner patterns. These are the non-negotiables. The other blocks are built around these.
Example of a Food and Sleep Schedule for Preschooler:
- Wakeup and breakfast: 7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m.
- Snack: 10:30 am
- Lunch and Nap: 12:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
- Snack: 2:30 p.m.
- Dinner: 6:00 p.m.
- Bedtime: 8:00 p.m.
Why this matters: When your child is well-rested and operating on a full stomach, she’s ready to learn and explore her world.
2. Divide your day into bite-sized blocks.
Blocks reflect chunks of time when your child will do specific activities. While your blocks may differ, we built a colored printable preschool template with these blocks: morning, learning time, on-the-go, lunch and nap, free play, family time, and nighttime. Each block has a unique color to help your child distinguish the difference and simplify planning for you. Over time, your child will learn the rhythm of her day based on the colors of the schedule.
Why this matters: Knowing what comes next reduces frustration and encourages smoother transitions from one block to the next.
3. Brainstorm a list of activities for each block.
With your day divided into blocks, take time to brainstorm different types of activities for each block based on your child’s interests and developmental abilities or stage. Include a mix of active and quiet activities, indoor and outdoor options, and activities your child can do with you and some she can do more independently. For instance, one week the “Learning Time” block can include puzzle time, water table play, alphabet blocks, reading nursery rhymes together, board games, and art.
Why this matters: Different activities stimulate various aspects of your child’s development. For example, puzzles enhance problem-solving skills, nursery rhymes support language development, and building blocks promote spatial awareness.
Different activities stimulate various aspects of your child’s development. For example, puzzles enhance problem-solving skills, nursery rhymes support language development, and building blocks promote spatial awareness. Share on X4. Consider specific developmental goals.
Every child develops at her own pace. However, there are four main areas of development: cognitive, social-emotional, physical, and language. As you’re creating your schedule for your preschooler, address all areas of your child’s development and keep in mind where she falls developmentally.
Examples:
Cognitive: puzzles, sorting games, counting objects, and scavenger hunts
Social-emotional: pretend play, playdates, creating art with you, and games involving taking turns
Physical: outdoor play, dancing, building with blocks, and playing sports or other movement activities
Language: storytelling, reading, singing, and talking with you
Why this matters: Whole child development matters for your preschooler because it helps her learn, make friends, and be happy by growing her brain, heart, and body in a balanced way. Need more practical ideas for activities? Add some of these to your schedule.
5. Post the block schedule for your child to see.
Put the schedule in a central location where your child can easily see. Talk about the next day’s schedule as part of your bedtime routine. This gives your child a heads-up about the next day, especially if an out-of-the-ordinary event is taking place, such as a playdate. By the way, keep the schedule flexible and adjust as needed based on your child’s mood, the weather, the day of the week, or a late night (or early morning) with a sick child.
Why this matters: Seeing the schedule helps your preschooler develop an understanding of time and the concept of sequencing events. This lays the foundation for time management skills as he grows older.
What is your best mom hack for staying organized and managing time effectively as a mom with a young kid?
