Establishing a Routine #giveaway #AdventuresInOdyssey

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This post on establishing a routine is part of the Summer of Service promotion with Adventures in Odyssey.

 

Talk to people who work with children and they’ll tell you how important a routine can be for the child.  There’s a feeling of security that comes with that routine.  And, looking at my house, I can see that a lack of a full routine is evident in the chaos around us.  Now that I’m working part time out of the house and one boy is going to school starting next month, the need for establishing a routine is paramount for our family.

 

Considerations when Establishing a Routine

What are the outside of the house obligations that must happen?

These could be work for parents or school for the kids.  I have some flexibility for times to be at work right now, but know that when special events happen I have to be at a set place for a set amount of time.  My son going to school this year will have set drop off and pick up times.  The structure within his school day will be set by the school. 

 

What outside activities have priority for your family?

Aside from work and school, activities such as Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts have to be worked into our family’s schedule.  In the past, we also had soccer for an outside activity.  The one thing we do not want is overload with no family time.  Hence, the need to prioritize what activities the boys can do so we have plenty of time for family activities.

 

What are the must do activities for each child?

As much as the boys would love to be waited on hand and foot, our family believes in everyone doing chores.  Some are for the house, but there are must do activities related to personal health that are on my younger sons ‘chore chart’ as well.  Finally, we want the boys to have a relationship with God and to make time in their day for Him.

 

Add Devotions when Establishing a Routine

One of the great new Adventures in Odyssey products released this year is 90 Devotions for Kids, aimed at kids 8 to 12. This soft-cover book draws you in with illustrations, puzzles, and kid-friendly applications. It also includes a daily Bible verse, daily challenges, words of encouragement from different AIO characters, and more. Even if your kids aren’t already Adventures in Odyssey fans, they’ll enjoy these daily devotionals, and get to know the Odyssey crew along the way.

This devotional, and the edition coming this fall (90 Devotions for Kids: Life Changing Values from the Book of Matthew) are great tools to help your kids put a regular pause in their day for Bible reading, prayer, and thoughts about God. If you start now—by the first day of school, you’ll already have a spiritual component scheduled into your kids’ routine. After that, everything else will hopefully just fall into line!

 

Download an excerpt from 90 Devotions for Kids.

 

 

 

Win a Copy of 90 Devotions for Kids to help your child when establishing a routine

One lucky blog reader will win their own copy of this title.  Entries are through the Giveaway Tools form below.  The form close on Sunday, August 11, 2013.  Open to US mailing addresses only.

 

 

 

 

What types of things are in your routine or your child’s routine?