If you're a stay at home mom and looking for some ideas for a 2 year old schedule as well as a 4 year old schedule, then look no further.
In today's blog post, I'm sharing my daily schedule for both my 2 year old and my 4 year old. Get ready for an exciting read! (Not).
What is a good schedule for a 2 year old?
Really, this post should be called "My Most Recent Blueprint For How We Are Going to Spend Our Days Because We Somehow Got Into a Rut and Our Ship Lost All Direction."
I was going to write a blogging-topic post today but I lost my mommy sh*t tonight during bedtime and then ugly cried over it for like an hour while attempting to read a book on how to survive raising kids. #itwasoneofthosedays
I feel like recently I've let myself become overwhelmed by getting into a bad rut...checking my phone too much, not taking the kids out enough because they got kind of sick a week or two before, and I've just been letting them entertain themselves.
Which is fine, I mean, what can you really do with a 2 and 4 year old all day long? Sometimes the thought of 14 hours with them alone sends me into sheer panic, like how will we make it through the day?? But we're just blah right now and I think it's making all of us restless. Time to hit the reset button!!!
I am a list maker. I love to see things written out, even if I'm not going to follow them exactly to the letter.
I just need a plan, something to fall back on when I forget where I am, which is frequently due to lack of sleep...lists make me feel safe. I have multiple posts on this here blog of routines. My last one was from six months ago...time for a new one!
Here is a sample schedule for a 2 and 4 year old!
2 year old schedule (& 4 year old schedule)
6-10 AM:
Independent play with Legos/Duplos.
Play in backyard.
Eat breakfast.
Read books.
10-12 PM:
Quiet time for the older one while the 2 year old has nap time. 4 year old does "preschool" on laptop while I put 2 year old down. I set out books, puzzles, and art supplies after preschool time, and then prep lunch.
12-3 PM:
Eat lunch and walk down to the park
3-5 PM:
Snack, books and/or play inside or in backyard. Fix and eat dinner.
5-7:30 PM:
Play inside or in backyard. Take a bath. Prepare and eat snack while reading books. Glorious bedtime!
As you can see, lots of playing inside or in backyard. My goal is to set up maybe one or two structured (and simple) activities in the mornings for them. I have so much pinned on Pinterest that it won't be hard to find ideas.
My husband said we need to get out of the house more often, and he's right. It's getting easier to go out with them now that Dacky is out of the baby stage. So, I came up with this on our calendar for outings:
Mondays
Some kind of fun outing––bookstore & pizza for lunch, zoo, library, the jump place or indoor jungle gym.
Tues & Wed
Stay home.
Thursdays
The local farm by our house that is amazing. It has farm animals, multiple play areas, fresh produce, bakery, and a little train. I don't know why we haven't been going EVERY SINGLE WEEK.
Fridays
My mom's house. She takes them down to the park by her house which has a huge pond and they get to feed the ducks and play on a cool playground, and I get to stay back at her house in the blissful silence and do whatever I need to!
This is all written out and stamped on my fridge. I'm actually excited now, like we have a direction in which to sail and things to look forward to.
But the million dollar question of the day is...if you have little ones under 5 years old, what's your routine look like? What are some of your kids' favorite things to do?
With love,
Jessica
Jessica Dimas is the author of the book "Sacred Self-Care for the Highly Sensitive Mom."
Sarah @ GlamGranolaGeek
Thank you! I so very much needed to read this today. We are in a MAJOR cold induced, snow bound rut but this has given me some motivation to figure something out for our days, I mean I live downtown, there has to be SOMETHING we can do somewhere! I'm on a mission to get this sorted out. How do you get the 4 year old to leave willingly? I swear it's always a huge battle to put clothes on, coat on, winter junk on, etc etc and sometimes I just don't have the energy to fight all the way through the process lol
Jessica Dimas
I was just checking the comments section and saw that I don't have a reply to you, although I could've SWORN I wrote one. So, sorry if this is a double comment! I feel really bad for those of you who live in REAL winter states, that would be hard to NOT get in ruts when you're forced indoors all day long plus I'm sure it's not easy to drive if there's snow, etc. I hope you come up with a plan! I know exactly what you mean about the 4 year old not wanting to get ready. That's the worst part for me is just getting everyone ready and out the door...it's so exhausting to get them to come over to me so I can change them and put their shoes on, etc. I'm sure your 4 year old is even more unwilling because he has to put on so many more layers! I think this is why I get in ruts because I just don't want to put up with the hassle of LEAVING lol. So yeah, I feel you.
Karen
I only have one and it is really hard! She goes to preschool 3 days a week just from 9-11:45. On days she doesn't have school we go out somewhere, anywhere. Library is great, spring & summer is the playground or beach, book store, out to lunch at a kid friendly place, and she loves BounceU. This winter had been brutal. It sucks that all of the indoor play places are SO expensive. I can swing going to BounceU maybe once a month.
Jessica Dimas
I can only imagine how hard it'd be to get out and do things during a REAL winter!! My boys love BounceU too and that's going to be a place we visit frequently in the summer when it's too hot to be out. Yes, those places really start to add up! I'm gonna try to weave in some free places in between the indoor play areas!
April
It is so easy to get in a rut. We had been doing family time, but we've slipped into what is easy! We moved to a smaller town and it is harder to find things to do. It isn't impossible... Thanks for the motivation.
Jessica Dimas
It really is so easy to get into a rut!! Every few months I find myself having to hit the reset button!
Echo
You've got such a great schedule laid out. I love it!
Jessica Dimas
Thanks Echo!
Chelsea
I know what you mean! I have been feeling sort of the same way recently. Little J's birthday party is on Saturday so I've been doing a lot to get ready for that, then we are moving three weeks later so I need to pack and get ready for that, so it's hard to actually have a good play-with-your-kids routine!
Also, I am jealous that you get to go outside so often! I wish we lived somewhere warmer so we could be outside, too. Unfortunately, we are moving to Idaho so we won't be outside until it warms up!
Jessica Dimas
Oh yeah, you sound like you've been busy!!! And I'm jealous of the places you live...Iowa and now Idaho, both gorgeous!!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom
Great schedule Jessica! It looks like you don't need that post from me after all *wink*.
Getting out of the house is so important. It's so easy to get into a rut when you're cooped up all day long. I like the rotation of outings too. I find when the kids are in the backyard they also need some "suggested" activities, otherwise they end up fighting or doing something ridiculous, so I usually try to provide something for them to do outside as well (bubbles one day, paintbrushes and buckets of water for the fence the next day, etc.).
Way to go... mama!
xoxo
Jessica Dimas
Noooo no no, I DEFINITELY still need your post, desperately lol. See how mine is lacking of things to do when we're at home? I can look to Pinterest but I'd still like to hear your advice on how to set things up for this age group and what to really do ALL DAY LONG when we're at home. Like the paint brushes and buckets of water for the fence...why have I never thought of that?!?!
Krista
Thanks for the inspiration to document what life's like right now. I love reading these types of posts and finally took the time to do one myself! xo
Jessica Dimas
I'm glad you liked it Krista! I love reading these types of posts as well, it's also insightful to see how other moms spend their days 🙂
Erin @ Nourishing My Scholar
I only have one boy, but I do have a 2year old little girl. Trust me, I know those times when you lose your mommy S*@*. Or when you find yourself crying at the end of a long day...Getting outside, lots of legos, stories and play-doh have been a life saver for me. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Jessica Dimas
Thank you for sharing not only your truth about losing it sometimes and for also sharing the things that help you guys stay occupied!! I have to say, all four of those things are on our every day list too!! <3
Tiffany
Girl I feel ya on getting into a rut. It is so hard when something like sickness or a vacation or party happens. It just throws you off. A likes doing girly things like going to Target and Costco, so I don't have much advice for you there. So on my days off she plays with the nanny in the morning while I work a little (mostly blog and do oils though let's be honest) then we usually go to Target, mall or park. Friday's she has Little Gym in the morning, then nap, then park. We are very predictable, haha!
Jessica Dimas
Can we trade children? Lol. Ugh mine like Target but only to run through the toy aisles while knocking everything down. I want to start taking them to a little gym, they would love that!!
Brittany Marchese
I love reading daily routine posts. I only have one boy and he isn't even 1 yet, I can only imagine my life with two. I bet they bring you so much joy though! 🙂
Jessica Dimas
Lots of ruckus but lots of laughter too 🙂 Boys are crazy but so funny and sweet <3
Tamara
Well I have two little ones but they're both partly in school which does make a huge difference, BUT, it has its own challenges for sure.
There are certainly days in which I think, "Oh god - 14 more hours of this. I might die." Especially when they're sick and I have to work and I have to be stronger.
I try to take Des to the library for toddler story hour on his off from school days. Or we just find little adventures. With better weather coming, I look forward to adventures in our own yard - the stream, the woods, the swingset. Wheeeeeeeee
Jessica Dimas
Yeah I'm sure the school aspect changes things up and also presents new challenges! Oh the sick days are the worst!!!! Or when WE'RE sick and they want to play with you and fight with each other and need a thousand snacks lol. Yeah better weather ALWAYS helps!! I'm a bit ridiculous and hardly go outside if it's much colder than 60 something degrees, but I have to stop being that way and take advantage of the time we have before it starts getting over 100 degrees and we REALLY can't be outside, ugh. I feel for you guys with true winters!
Katie | The Surly Housewife
I totally relate to the meltdown days when you just have to cry it out. Sometimes that is all you can do!
I applaud you for picking yourself up out of the rut and tackling the problem head on. 4 and 2 was a difficult age for me. 4 is by far the worst age/stage, for our situation anyway. Our girls are 4 and 6 now and thankfully the youngest wasn't as bad at age four as her sister 😉
As for activities, the park, the library, the pool, and just going for a walk were the big ones at that age. The lovely thing about this age is things are simple. Keep it simple and fun and the boys will enjoy it. My best advice for your time at home, spend time with the boys first, then send them to play on their own. A little tip I learned from Supernanny. You would be surprised how affective spending 10 minutes reading a book with them will help their behavior. Hope this helps!
Stopping by from the ShineHop! And I signed up for your newsletter. No clue why it took me so long!! Have a great weekend 🙂
Jessica Dimas
AWESOME tips, thank you!! And you know what, I've read that multiple times, to give your child attention first and then they act so much better, so thank you for that reminder. It's so easy to wake up and just want to be lazy or get other things done first and play with your kids afterwards, but really if you fill up their attention tank first, it's much less stressful!
Cindy Hasko
I hear ya, as I have my 3 1/2 year old boy. I do school with him 5 days a week, okay, sometimes 4 days a week, lol. I do take him on a field trip once a week. I took him to "the gardens" one week and it's full of beautiful trees, plants, flowers, animals, flamingos... I'm actually going to post a blog about it in a week or two. You can see pics. Also, 2 weeks ago, I just walked into a fire station with my boy and asked the firefighter's if they could show us around. There was nobody there, except for the firefighters and my son and I. They gave us over an hour tour, let my son and I get into the firetrucks, etc, etc... They showed us everything in every comparment in the huge firetrucks. So cool. There is an idea for you. Your boys would love it. Just go there and ask them if it's okay if you and the boys can have a "tour". Or when you can come back for one. They were so super cool about it too!! Yeah, so, parks, places they can run and places they can learn like the Science Museum, but definitely take them to the firestation. Ohhh, and I love to play video games with my boy. He loves it, we laugh, bond and we di missions together. 🙂
Jessica Dimas
That is SUCH a great idea!!! My boys are obsessed with fire trucks so I know they'd be in heaven doing that!! Love your ideas, so many good ones! You should do a post on how you do school with your son, I would love to read that!!
Cindy Hasko
p.s. I also started taking my son to my mother in laws house once - twice a week and I am teaching him how to swim in her pool. He loves it!! I make it really fun for him and he is tired afterwards, lol.
Jessica Dimas
That is also a great idea!! Swimming and being in the sun makes for tired little boys afterwards lol, which is the goal!!!
Monica
I love your schedule. In the summer, my all-time favorite thing is to visit local farms, fairs, and petting zoos. Pretty much anywhere you can see animals. This is why we decided on buying a farm house so we could raise some of our own. I plan on setting up a fence around our play set to keep the babies (ages 1 & 3) in their "pen" while my husband and I work outside on whatever project we feel like doing. Also, we love doing family bike trips. We have a bike trailer we like to use for trips to the ice cream shop or where ever. My daughter plans on helping with gardening this year. She already helped set up our indoor greenhouse and can't wait to begin planting seeds. We seriously need to get out of our house too! I am inspired to set up a schedule like yours. I used to go to the library often... I should add that back on to my schedule! 🙂
I CANT WAIT TIL SUMMER.
Is it here yet?!
Jessica Dimas
I'm sooooo jealous you have a farm house!!! The perfect place to raise children!! I hope you take lots of pics and share them on your blog!!
Erin
Hi! I just came across your blog and I love it. I will be following you 🙂 I have two kids under 5 and I'm a stay at home mom. We have a 3 year old boy and 11 month old girl. Our days look like this: 7:00ish wake up and watch a cartoon and read books with my boy. 8:00ish my girl wakes up and I nurse her. Around 8:30 we all eat breakfast at the table. Then from 9:30-11:30 we play in our play area & the girl takes a quick nap somewhere in there. And now that it's finally warming up outside we will be outside on the deck and in our yard a ton. 11:30 lunch. 12:15 nap for the boy. I get a few things done (sometimes) and play with the girl. Around 3:00 we play more and do art projects. I do art EVERY day with my 3 year old and he loves it. 4:30 my hubby is done with work and then I have help with the kids 🙂 Cheers to you.
Jessica Dimas
Loved reading your day!! I love that you do art everyday with your three year old, that's awesome!! Do you share any of the art projects you do on your blog?
Rebecca
Oh god. You brave woman. Taking the kids out is so annoyingly unpredictably difficult or super easy. You never know with them and sometimes I'm not down with a crazy ass child. And yet here I am, taking Dylan out every single day because if I don't, I'll really pay for it. I'll be cooped up in the house with a very mean, overly energetic child who wants nothing more than to go outside and explore the world. FINE. If we must. And unfortunately, we must. Geez- we're too brave.