My 4-year-old daughter has been having some behavioral issues lately. She had always been a very well-mannered polite little girl. Then all of a sudden it was like the body snatchers replaced my child with a changeling! My preschooler became easily frustrated. She started literally roaring. Not to mention some screaming and stomping. All of which was entirely out of character for her behavior! First I took the time to look for patterns in her outbursts. I noticed that a lot of her frustrations were stemming from ‘abrupt’ changes in activities. Such as when ending TV time to have lunch. Creating a visual schedule for children is one way to help alleviate frustration tantrums and streamline your day.
Let me just tell you, we have a schedule. We have a schedule, we have a routine, AND we have systems. Optimizing is the name of the game here. But just because they exist does not mean my preschooler knows that they exist. I have noticed that she sometimes is unsure of what is to come next in the day, even though we do variations of the same thing every single day. It was time to help her understand that she could rely on the order of our days.
Here’s how I used a visual schedule in our home.
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We don’t have a color printer here right now, so black and white it is! I used some markers to color it a bit before running it through a laminating machine. Mine came from Amazon and I also grabbed a huge pack of laminating sheets to go with it. I love using a laminating machine to give my DIY projects a more polished look. I’ll put a link for the products I use at the bottom if you’re interested.
If you are looking to create a visual schedule for your own home, this article by Teaching Mama is incredibly helpful and informative. PLUS, her free cards are oh-so-perfect for toddlers and preschoolers! I loved her cards so much that I snagged a copy for my family to use. Maybe you would enjoy using them too.
While there may be other factors involved in affecting her behavior. Such as a new baby in the home and daddy traveling for work, this is one way I’ve identified to try to help solve her daily frustrations. And it worked!
Let me know in the comments below if using a visual schedule for your toddler or preschooler has worked for you!
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