Monday, January 16, 2012

Days of the Week

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Lately, the days of the week are coming up in our conversations with Reece. He will ask “what day is it?” I usually respond with the day of the week. We might chat about what day it was yesterday and what day it is tomorrow, and that is it. Then the next day, the same conversation occurs.
I realized though, that the actual day of the week really means nothing to Reece. Much the same as the time, a week or a month has no meaning to him, the days of the week as we know them really don’t mean that much to him. So, we have decided to create different days of the week based on the activities we do each day.
This will give Reece some concrete information that he can understand about what day it is and will allow us to create a rhythm to our weeks.

Here’s what it looks like:

Monday will be called Skating Day
Tuesday will be called Baking Day
Wednesday will be called Music Day
Thursday will be called Crafting Day
Friday will be called Oaks and Acorns Day
Saturday will be called Market Day
Sunday will be called Family Day
We feel like this is a pretty good balance of activities outside the home and activities at home, while leaving lots of time for free, imaginative play. I have made sure not to schedule two activity days in a row, breaking them up with a baking day and crafting day.
So far, we are all enjoying it and we are only one week in. When Reece asks “what day is it?” the conversation doesn’t just end, it continues. He wants to know when we are going skating, who is joining us at the rink, what are we going to bake and so on.
By changing the name of the days of the week to the activities we do on those days, we have created a greater opportunity for conversation, increased Reece’s awareness of what each day holds for him and created a rhythm to our weeks.
I will keep you posted as we go along.
Do you create a weekly rhythm in your home?

10 comments:

  1. We do have a weekly rhythm. I even made a chart out of felt with symbols of our activities so Sofia could see where we are in our day or in the week. I try to plan only one big activity a day. Monday we're at home, tuesday is story time, Wednesday we just started a dance class, Thursday we have a play date in the late afternoon and Friday we're at home. Saturday and Sunday are dedicated to doing things as a family. Sofia really likes to be out of the house so I try to keep the beginning and end of the week calm.
    I think it's amazing how time means nothing to kids. I like jumping into those moment without time.

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    1. Love the idea of a chart KC, I think Reece would really like that, he is a very visual kind of kid. Sounds like you have created a nice balance of activities, so important not to over schedule them.

      I sometimes wish time meant nothing to me, can you imagine....

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  2. how lovely.....what a beautiful Rhythm!

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  3. Neat, I love this. I've been wanting to establish some routine like this with Gretchen, but it's tough when our days are so different. Might be able to do SOME days! :)

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    1. I say, go for it on the days you can Desiree, every little bit of rhythm helps create a flow to their lives and creates some predictability to their days.

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  4. I love the idea of a chart too! I think I might have to make us one!

    Yes, we have a weekly (and daily) rhythm to our days and love it! Monday is our home/baking day, Tuesday we head to the YMCA, Wednesday is library day, Thursday is another YMCA day and Friday is Art day (the girls take a wonderful art class Friday afternoons). Saturday is winter farmer's market day and Sundays are family day with them generally being unplugged. The girls would love a chart with symbols for this very reason!

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    1. Love your weekly rhythm Shel. We love our unplugged family day on Sunday, so nice for all of us.

      I mentioned the chart to my husband at dinner tonight, and we are on it, we think Reece will love it!

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  5. clever! i love those moments of parenthood in which we reflect on what we are doing and find something that works better. and... i love it when they get shared in posts like this, so that when my little bird starts asking about the days of the week, I can respond more cleverly than "monday". :)

    thanks! best, jules

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    1. Haha Jules :) So happy to share.

      And yes those moments in which we reflect are awesome, I love them too!

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