Creating habits in children can be difficult. Repetition, pedagogy and a lot of patience are the keys. But if you can help yourself with something to reinforce routines, those things that should be part of your day to day, the idea is that it be didactic learning.
Online, we found the venture create your day. Its creator, Valentina Monroy, states that “’Create your day’ helps families with children in infancy to organize day-to-day life through illustrated materials with different stages and actions that are organized according to the day. Thus promoting routines that in time, will be the habits of life. And how? Using your fridge as a hub.
The “Create your day” kit consists of 40 illustrated magnetic cards with actions to organize the day-to-day as a family. Being magnetic, your refrigerator will act as a kind of board where you will order this “day to day”.
Visualizing the day and anticipating what will happen provides security and calm to children. It strengthens autonomy, cooperation and self-esteem, it also lightens the mental load of parents since they do not have to repeat instructions on what to do/do not do. They can just go check what’s pending in the fridge.
The benefits
Valentina Monroy, who is behind this incredible and creative proposal, is the mother of 3 girls and a professor at the Catholic University of Chile, Master in Health Education at Penn State University, specializing in promoting healthy habits. The education specialist states that “all the people we raise know how challenging it is, that there are no schedules or rest, it is seeing our limits exceeded.”
“If we add domestic, work and other responsibilities to this, the day-to-day life of parents and children may feel out of control and improvised. This disorganization negatively impacts the entire family,” he adds. That is why he developed this playful and assertive system.
“Children will be able to visualize what time of day they are and will anticipate what is coming, promoting order, calm, autonomy and security. At the same time, it relieves the mental load and stress of the parents since they will not have to repeat instructions all day. An organized and predictable family dynamic facilitates spaces to enjoy and connect with the family”, she explained.
In Creatudia.cl you can buy the kit. It has a value of 30,000 clp, and there are other proposals available such as the “Ritual of good eating” or “Ritual of good sleep” pack.