Giving Structure

I am a first-born daughter.  I remember at least a season of my life in which I was overly concerned with making sure my parents were on top of planning things.  I wanted to know what to expect.  I probably wanted to have control too.

Hannah is similar in this way so far.  Maybe it's just a typical three-year-old thing, but she is frequently asking, "What are we going to do today?"  "What are we doing next?"  "What are we doing after my nap?"  She definitely thrives on routine and at least some predictability.  In an effort to meet her in this place, and in hopes of stopping the barrage of those types of questions, I created this...

Our daily planner.

Today was definitely a bit more activity packed than "normal"...we had fun!

Each morning after breakfast, we sit down together (before I proceed with "timer time", which I'm pretty proud to have stuck with thus far) and talk about our day.  Our discussion covers day of the week, the weather, and at least a couple activities I have in mind.  She gets to sort through all the little velcro pieces I made and put together a sketch of our day.

We both enjoy it so far, and it has really seemed to give her a sense of peace and security knowing at least some of what is planned.  It has also provided opportunity to discuss how plans sometime change.