No Fuss Weeknight Routine for Kids

Afternoons and evenings with little ones are long, especially weeknights. Sometimes I catch myself calculating the hours and minutes until bedtime. Anybody else?

After we had our first child, we quickly realized the importance of a solid evening routine. Although it hasn’t looked exactly the same over the last 8 years, the fact that we’re consistent has been the key. It hasn’t just kept us sane, but our whole family thrives in a routine. The same is probably true for you and yours.

When our babies were newborns, we were extreme about routine! (Ha!) Seriously, our friends poked fun at us all the time. As each of our babies got older, around a year old, we started to be more flexible. Our kids need sleep to be their best selves and it is no fun for anyone if they’re deprived of that. We have figured out that if we’re consistent with our weeknight routine, then weekends and the occasional “off night” or “late night” doesn’t matter so much!

Our weeknights are pretty simple and can literally be summed up using one of the dumbest phrases I’ve ever come up with: “the work sandwich”!

Let me explain… “the work sandwich” is something I developed in my classroom over 10 years ago (back in my elementary days). The idea is that work is always “bookended” with fun! “Work is the meat and fun is the bun” y’all! After all, a sandwich ain’t a sandwich without something between the buns! Get it?!

In all seriousness though, it’s a cycle that kids can depend on. They’re much more likely to “work”, if they know “fun” is around the corner. The reason this works is because it appeals to their desire for fun, while subconsciously giving them a short-term, attainable goal, it drives them to get through the work. If we can raise 3 world-changers that work hard and know how to have fun, that’s a win!

In a nutshell, our “work sandwich” weeknight routine looks like this.

Top Bun: After-school Snack + 10 minutes of play

When we arrive home, we start with fun by having a snack and about 10 minutes of play. During this time the kids “wash the day off” their hands as Nan says, and usually go upstairs and play or play outside. I unload the car, open backpacks, check binders, and clear the table for homework.

Meat: Homework

Homework takes us anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the night of the week, how cooperative the bigs kids are (Pre-K & 2nd), and how many times we get interrupted by Daisy (18 months).

Bun: Playtime

The kids are free to play in or outside, help with supper, or watch a show. (They each get to pick one, but rarely even turn it on!) They’re limited to these activities because we don’t use devices (iPad, Xbox, iPod Touch) during the school week at all. This time usually lasts about an hour to an hour and a half. During this time I’m putting together and heating up supper. (We prep our suppers ahead for the week.) Adam usually comes home during this time, hallelujah!

Meat: Supper Time

Once the food is finishing up, I usually give the kids a five-minute warning and then call them to the kitchen. They wash their hands again and take silverware and napkins to the table. With little ones, we’ve been known to “eat in shifts”, but we try hard to all sit down together. It’s really important to us to maintain that. Once we finish up, the kids help clear the table and they’re off!

Bun: Bath Time Shifts

This falls under “fun” because we usually all bathe in shifts since we have a boy and two girls. Though we have 4 bathrooms, everyone currently bathes in mine! One of my goals this year is to change that, but for now, it’s just the way it is! Often the girls go first, and then the guys. So when one of them is bathing, the other gets a few more minutes of playtime. This usually takes about an hour.

Meat: 5-minute Pickup

I can honestly say more is accomplished in the house during this five minute window than is accomplished all day sometimes! 5-minute pickup is exactly what it sounds like, five minutes of picking up. It is a short, attainable amount of time, and honestly the kids think it’s a race!

Alexa sets a five minute timer for us and we get after it. Everyone is responsible for their own items that are out of place first, and then if there is still time, they help another family member with their things. If this happens, the kids can earn stickers for their Serve Chart. We all run around like crazy people when the timer starts, picking up in a frenzy and it’s done before we know it! 5-minute pick up happens no matter how late, how tired, or how much of a mess has been made. It is non-negotiable because I refuse to wake up to a mess!

The best part about establishing 5-minute pick up is that it can be done anytime! Randomly throughout the weekends and holidays when they are home from school, I’ll tell Alexa to set a five minute timer and then yell, “five minute pick up!” and they’re all about it. It’s the most beautiful thing!

Bun: Bedtime Snack

We hold off on dessert after supper, except for fruit, and save it for a bedtime snack. The kids look forward to this time and it’s become a tradition. They never forget and are not going to bed without their snack! Adam usually gets this time with the big kids as I’m often putting Daisy to bed.

Meat: Brushing Teeth

Apparently brushing teeth is hard work! It falls under “work” because you and I both know kids are not fond of it, not even a little bit! We use the toothbrushes that light up and brush in the dark sometimes to spice it up!

Books, Prayers + Snuggles

“Ahhhhh! We made it!” That’s usually the thought that enters my head when we reach this time in the night. We pray as a family, all taking turns, and then read and snuggle! You know how it is, your children are most precious when they’re sleeping!

By this time it’s usually around 8:30 and I have about an hour before my bedtime goal of 9:30. I am in the beginning stages, but I’m trying to make a habit of going downstairs and starting the dishwasher before bed. I also would love to fold and put away the load of laundry in the dryer, but I’m not making any promises! Progress over perfection right? Dishes and laundry really only take 15 minutes or less, so I should be able to swing it!

The rest of the evening isn’t scheduled, if you know what I mean… but Adam and I are dedicated to spending the last hour or so of it together.

As always, I hope you found some inspiration and can add a thing or two in at home if you need your weeknights to go a little smoother. Let me know your thoughts and send me any questions you have or if you want more info about how we roll, I love feedback!

Disclaimer: I am fully aware that I did not include how we manage extra-curricular activities. My best tip is to be dedicated to a couple of things and work around it. For us, we rarely compromise on dinner together, 5-minute pickup, and prayer.

Jamie

Be sure you’re following Bloom on social for random tips and thoughts from me! (If you like that sort of thing!)

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo