The 'benefits of routine' were highlighted in the Southeast Cornerstone Public School Division's September Newsletter, alongside mental health resources available in the southeast.
Raylene Forseth, Mental Health Consultant with the SECPSD, said she and her team chose the topic, which was also shared on social media, partly because September's return to classes often means getting back into routines. The impact of routine, however, goes far beyond simply changing the bedtime and packing a lunch.
She said keeping routines somewhat flexible can provide kids with a touchpoint of predictability, belonging, and confidence to be able to manage potentially busy or stressful situations, new situations, and life's inevitable dose of uncertainty.
"That predictability helps everybody to know generally what to expect, but also you have a little bit of wiggle room to make sure that you can adapt to the changes that life throws at you, and any extras that come up."
Routines, noted Forseth, help everyone establish healthy sleep habits.
"Sleep is so important for kids and teens. In fact, getting enough sleep really is a huge factor in health and mental health and overall well-being for all of us," she shared. "Making choices about what screen time looks like before bed can have a big impact on sleep."
"Choosing to read a book or listen to calming music can also have a big impact on sleep. Having a set routine for your child that's a very simple bedtime routine can just help to set healthy habits, and those habits in turn make transitions, like the one from summer break back to school, a little bit smoother."
She said parents are often concerned about how to balance screen time for their children.
"Having flexible routines around screen time helps kids to find balance between that virtual and in-person activity or persona that they have, and when we have balance, that really promotes the development of social skills both online and off, and it can help support things like better sleep," she noted. "It also helps support healthy habits around screen time."
"Some days you may have a little bit more screen time because students are maybe doing some work online for school, or they're spending a little bit more time talking to friends on Snapchat or connecting on online forums with some of their friends. Other times, they're going to be really busy with other activities, and they're going to have a little bit less."
That flexibility helps ensure everyone's needs are met, leading to a healthy balance.
"Having those conversations and establishing those routines around what healthy balance looks like, is one way to be able to try and keep it a little bit flexible, but also having some boundaries that set the stage for healthy interactions with devices or with online forums. Flexible routines are one way to be able to sort of lay the groundwork for those healthy boundaries, all of the things that we want to do versus all of the things that we have to do, the work and play balance. When we lay those healthy boundaries with flexible routines, then it makes it a lot easier in times of stress to be able to have something predictable to fall back on."
Routines provide a calm center amid what can sometimes seem like a chaotic time, such as, "Knowing that we're going to connect and read a book together before bed, or we're going to eat a meal together as a family, or I still have my list of chores that I need to get done and then I'll have time to play."
Forseth said the SECPSD website offers numerous resources for parents.
"Teachers are also a great resource for families who are looking to set up routines around monitoring their child's schoolwork or keeping up with homework or any demands, particularly for teens," she added.
"Being able to have a plan and a routine around managing things like studying for tests and developing those healthy study habits is a really good thing to consider when you're looking at what your routines look like as a family and what your needs as a family are for routine."
