Imagine this: You’re nearing that part of the day after dinner. You’ve set aside the time and energy for a life-giving nighttime routine where your kids feel connected to you. You’re enjoying the time, you’re not rushing and counting the minutes until bedtime because it’s fulfilling for you and your kids.

Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “that’s a pipedream, and I’m so far from that”. Just know, it IS possible for your family to enjoy togetherness at night, even if you’re in the trenches of it feeling like an uphill battle. Your family was designed for togetherness, and you can implement that into your family today.

Here are some tips to help you create an evening routine for your family:

Change the mindset around “witching hour”. Write down the problems that tend to arise during the most stressful time in the day. Then, think about small ways that you can solve those problems. For example: If your kids come home and throw their backpacks and shoes on the floor, work with them so they independently put things where they belong. If certain days have more time constraints, that might be a good day for a crockpot or pre-cooked meal. This takes time, but change happens with consistency.
Implement family dinners at least a few nights a week. Dinners are a great way to connect with our spouses and kids. Read our blog post, 5 Tips to Help Make Family Meals a Normal Thing, to help!
Set aside 10-15 minutes to clean up your space. Giving everyone a job to clean up encourages the idea of a family also being a team. Not to mention, it sets up the next morning for success.
Have an open mind about what your child needs around bedtime to wind down. Some need more snuggles than others. Some need more connection through just talking to you more. Some need to listen to you talk with a story. Every child winds down differently. Taking 10 minutes per kid to recognize their need makes a huge difference in their emotional and mental health.

Be patient with yourself and family! Implementing new rhythms in your day to day routine takes time, patience, and trial and error. There is not a one size fits all nightly routine that works perfectly for everyone. We aren’t encouraging perfection, just persistence.