Daily Rhythm

In this episode Meagan speaks from her experience from working with so many families and from her own experience as parent of four. She discusses not just the benefits of rhythm in the home for young children, but also for older children and even adults. I learned so much about rhythm from my conversation with Meagan.

Here are some of my favorite takeaways from our conversation:

• For the whole family, a daily rhythm at home creates a sense of balance and peace.
• Daily rhythm helps young children to have an understanding of time. Time is very abstract for young children and daily rhythm helps them to have a sense of predictability and security in what is happening next throughout the day. For example, something like teeth brushing, this can be a struggle in many homes. However, as part of a rhythm of pre-bedtime events, it can come more easily and gently for the child.
• Rhythm and routine are different. Rhythm is a little more flexible, more like a flow, than scheduled things through a day. Another thing that’s more an aspect of a daily rhythm than routine, is the idea of ritual. An example of this could be a blessing before mealtime, or a relaxing bath before bed.
• How do you establish a daily rhythm with your family? Meagan’s suggestion is to try and establish rhythm around mealtimes, playtimes, and rest times. For children, these are the three main pillars of their day. An example of creating a rhythm around mealtime would be setting the table together before a meal, or saying a simple blessing, sharing in being grateful for the meal together. Meagan strongly recommends eating together as a family as much as possible. Eating with our children models things like table manners.
• Keep it simple. There is a tendency in our society to go overboard with everything. Keep rhythms simple. An example of this is reading just a book or two before bed, instead of three to five. When rhythm is kept simple, it stays meaningful.
• How do you maintain or create a family daily rhythm when there is a large change facing the family like a move or a new baby? Meagan recommends firstly to be flexible. Being receptive to what the individual child needs and at the same time keep in mind the needs of the whole family work best. Knowing that it won’t always be perfect, that daily rhythm is a flow that will almost consistently be in shift.