34+ Sample Toddler Daily Schedules

What Is a Toddler Daily Schedule?

A toddler daily schedule refers to the official schedule of activities in taking care of toddlers every day. Consider this schedule as a creative curriculum of to-do lists of how a parent, teacher, or daycare specialist handles toddlers daily. For example, toddlers require playtime, bath time, and feeding per day. But when do you actually provide them? Hence, the toddler daily schedule marks your guide of what to do with toddlers from morning until evening.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that children within one to three years old are toddlers.

Also, Joseph Shrand, Ph.D., author and psychiatry teacher of Harvard Medical School, said that children least likely listen to you if you yell at them.

Why Do You Need Toddler Daily Schedules?

You basically need a toddler daily schedule when your child reaches toddlerhood. Otherwise, your usual routine of taking care of an infant may not work anymore since there are changes in how the child behaves or acts. And instead of having a fixed schedule of monthly or weekly plans, a daily schedule is much better since you can have variety and flexibility. Hence, the line of activities on Monday doesn’t have to be the same for the rest of the days.

Also, toddler daily schedules are helpful to anyone who takes care of toddlers. So it won’t only concern the parents as the schedule can be shared with a school teacher, childcare expert, nanny, or any other family member. And if memorizing a whole schedule seems tiring for you, at least having one document is enough to remind you of the daily to-do list in handling these toddlers.

What Are the Parts of a Basic Toddler Daily Schedule?

A toddler daily schedule is not a one-example-fits-all type of document. It can be different for every family according to the toddler’s needs, the parents’ availability, resources, and other factors. But if you need help on what common elements are found inside this schedule, then take a look at the standard parts associated with a toddler daily schedule:

Title: You can’t easily tell that one document is a toddler daily schedule without a proper title. Hence. The words ‘toddler daily schedule’ must be written in your document. Write the title in bold capital letters and place it at the very top of the document for visibility. Thus, your title gives off the document’s statement of purpose.Who Is Assigned: Sometimes, you need extra hands in taking care of toddlers, especially when there are lots of children in the family. So the key is to assign other people but be specific on who is assigned per task in the schedule. Otherwise, people might blame each other if one item in the activity list wasn’t done to a toddler, simply because there was no clear name given on who should be responsible for such a task.Time and Date: A schedule isn’t complete without the time and date. Scheduling is basically linked to the date or time anyway. You may base on a printable calendar for the format like in writing all the days in a month and divide them according to the days of the week. Most importantly, add the time since you will note what to do at 7:00 in the morning down to nighttime. And being on schedule every single day is the goal when you follow the toddler daily schedule.Task List: In every timeframe, you assign a specific task. And this is where the task list is relevant to the schedule. All the activities to do from start to finish will be arranged chronologically until you can set a time and date for them. So make sure every task has a time stated beside them so you will be sure of what task to do in every significant minute or hour of the day.Checkboxes: Although this example is optional, you can add checkboxes to the schedule to make it look like a checklist. This practice is a smart decision to really check the progress if every task enlisted has been done or not. So in every task achieved, be sure to put a checkmark to it since it marks as done. Thus, you proceed to the next enlisted tasks to complete.Feedback: Include a space to write your feedback in the toddler daily schedule too. This is where you jot down every observation in dealing with the toddler. If you think the schedule can be improved, then state your recommendations. And learning from every feedback is beneficial to know how to adjust later on. Eventually, you will know how to come up with the perfect schedule when you make improvements or adjustments.Notes: Finally, insert an extra blank space for your notes. This is more like a freedom wall of your schedule as you can write other elements not included in this list. Examples include the family budget plans, tips, and what not to forget for managing toddlers. Make the most in this section too if you think they can help enhance the toddler daily schedule.

How to Create a Decent Toddler Daily Schedule

Now for the crux of the matter, how do you make a toddler daily schedule? Rest assured, these schedules are not that difficult as long as you master effective planning and time management. So to ensure you have a proper toddler daily schedule all planned out, simply follow these five steps:

Step 1: Identify the Right Toddler Needs and Check Your Schedule

Each toddler has different needs so be observant as much as possible. If the child usually wakes up very early in the morning, then adjust your schedule by starting the daily plans early as well. And in getting to know these kids, be patient too. In fact, forcing and yelling won’t get you anywhere. As reported by Joseph Shrand, Ph.D., the author and psychiatry teacher of Harvard Medical School, children won’t listen effectively by yelling at them. Also, maybe your kid has autism or any other condition where a huge adjustment must follow. Most importantly, check your own work schedule as you should be responsible for giving enough time to deal with the kids.

Step 2: Pick a Sample Toddler Daily Schedule to Customize

After carefully assessing your toddler’s needs and adjusting your schedule, start listing every single task to accomplish in a day using a sample toddler daily schedule. And you can do that by downloading any of the templates listed in this post. Each template is professionally made and you only need a few tweaks to complete the schedule. Focus on transferring the daily tasks to the template first until you will know how to divide the tasks in an organized timeframe.

Step 3: Insert the Parts of a Toddler Daily Schedule

Of course, you can’t forget about the parts of a toddler daily schedule being discussed earlier. From the title down to the notes section, ensure to complete the parts to create an effective schedule. You can even add more elements if you like from toddler budget calculators, parent/nanny shift rotations, and so much more. When you have clear parts of the schedule, you come up with an effective head start for the toddler daily schedule, for sure.

Step 4: Take Note of the Schedule’s Output

How should the schedule’s final output look like? This leads you to come up with a proper format, design, and content for the overall schedule. You can even add some creativity with DIY designs and elements to the schedule itself. Assuming that you want a 3-year old to follow your schedule, for example, you can observe a visual schedule instead. Drawings and visuals help toddlers understand as well. Also, you can use a digital copy of the schedule at home or perhaps, a printed copy for classroom or school sessions for toddlers. Go for whichever version you find most accessible.

Step 5: Adjust and Update the Schedule Regularly

Once you are done, you still need to take note of possible adjustments and updates. Hence, double-check your schedule regularly. A full evaluation can help you assess if the tasks are doable in a day or not. Maybe you had a hundred tasks to do in one day for a child that could have been easier if you add them for the rest of the days instead. Also, if you get busy, then be sure to adjust by assigning someone else or lessening the duration of some tasks. And this last step is how you stay flexible with your time in dealing with toddlers.

FAQs

How old are toddlers?

Based on a CDC report, children around one to three years old are toddlers. Hence, you need not call them infants around such time. Instead, embrace this stage for them with grace.

Who should make a toddler daily schedule?

Basically, anyone can make a toddler daily schedule. But, it shouldn’t just be taken for granted because the toddlers’ lives are at stake here. It works best to have someone who really cares about these children to decide what’s best for them daily, especially the parents. And they can just share the schedule with other family members, the nannies, etc.

Is a toddler daily schedule required?

No, a toddler daily schedule isn’t required but it is encouraged. For example, some people are quite forgetful that they might forget how children haven’t taken their lunches yet or that there was no playtime given to the kids in a day. Hence, you become more prepared and organized with a schedule on hand. So you might as well prepare the said schedule to be safe than sorry.

When you want your toddler to feel loved, to grow healthy, and to be cooperative, setting a toddler daily schedule can just be your best weapon. In fact, it not only benefits children but also parents or anyone involved in managing the kids. With a well-thought-out schedule, there is a structured plan on how to spend the whole 24 hours with kids in the most productive and beneficial way possible. Download a sample toddler daily schedule now!