Do you need a Toddler daily Routine for 2-3 year olds?
Toddlers thrive on routine but it can be tricky to set up a good one that works for both mom and little one. Plus, toddlers can be so unpredictable which is why having a routine or rhythm is so important. It helps them to know what comes next.
And if I’m honest, routines help me stay on track as well. Note that this isn’t a strict schedule – a routine allows for some flexibility. We do have certain things that are time constrained. I try to stick to naptime and bedtime consistently, but other than that we flow from one activity to another. We may spend more time outside one day or do several activities.
We’ve been doing this routine for quite a while now and it has worked fairly well. We do change it up a bit when the weather is colder.
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Here is an overview of our schedule and then I’ll go into detail:
Our Toddler Daily Routine
- Wake up
- Milk and quiet activity
- Breakfast
- Morning Basket
- Clean up
- Get dressed & Daily hygiene
- Outside Play (or outing)
- Snack
- “School”
- Free Play in playroom
- Lunch (around noon)
- Read Aloud Book
- Nap (12:30-2:30p)
- Snack
- Activity/Craft
- Outside Play
- Dinner (around 5:30p)
- Free Play or Reading
- Bath (7:30p)
- Brush Teeth
- Read Aloud/Bible Story
- Bedtime (7:45p)
Mornings –
Usually, G will wake up between 6:00 and 6:30a. We went through a phase where she was up around 5:00 or 5:30 and that was tough. She will get her cup of milk and will read or play while I make breakfast. (We may turn on the TV but we are really trying to limit screen time.)
Breakfast –
We eat breakfast at the dining room table while we do our Morning Basket activities. (You can read more about that here.) Then we clean up breakfast and do some light chores (G’s daily chore is feeding the dogs. We will add more as she gets older.)
Get ready for the day –
We change our clothes, brush our teeth and hair and put on our socks and shoes.
Outside/Outings –
During the hotter months, we head outside for some nature activities or free play. We try to enjoy the cooler weather early in the morning since afternoons here can reach 100-degree heat indexes.
Or we drive to our outing for the day – on Fridays we go to Grandma’s house for the morning, which includes some outside play. Other outings may be grocery store, museum, playground. We try to leave the house by 9:30 for any outings so we have plenty of time to get home by noon for lunch and naptime.
We eat a light snack and may listen to some music or read a book before heading to the playroom for “school.”
“School” –
We are using the Gentle & Classical Press Preschool curriculum and this is the time we will briefly go over our Memory Statements, such as Bible Verse or the week, read, and work in our binders. School time usually only takes about 15 minutes and then we move on to free play with blocks, puzzles and other toys.
Lunch, Naptime & Snack –
Then we have lunch around noon.
After lunch, we will read the book of the week or another book of her choosing and then it’s naptime. This is usually around 12:30 until 2:30 or 3:00p.
After nap, we will have another small snack and may have some TV time before we do an activity or craft. She may also help me with dinner preparations.
Outside Play –
Once daddy comes home, she spends time with him outside or at the playground.
Dinner, Bath & Bedtime –
We have an early dinner around 5:30 or 6:00p and then it’s free play or reading until bath time at 7:30p. (We also will have some TV time but as mentioned above, we are working on limiting and eliminating screen time.)
After bath, we read more and then it’s lights out no later than 8:00p.
As mentioned above, we try to get outside before it gets too terribly hot in the summer. But when it gets colder, we do our school work first and then head outside after it has warmed up a bit.
Visual Routine Cards
I purchased these adorable routine cards from Gentle & Classical Press for only $4 so we have a visual of our routine. I printed them out and hung with mini clothespins.
There are so many to choose from and even include chore cards. You could glue magnets on them and place on the refrigerator. There are so many ways you can use these.
I hope our toddler daily routine will inspire you to create one for your family. Every family is different so yours may not look exactly like mine, but it always helps to see what others are doing.
If you are interested in the Gentle & Classical Press curriculum, use this link for $5 off $20 purchase.