How to Help Kids Form Good Habits

What are some examples of a habit? It can be as simple as your morning routine. Things like:

• Brush teeth
• Get dressed
• Eat breakfast
• Let the dog out
• Get your backpack/purse/work bag

How Can You Help Kids Form Good Habits?

Follow the 3 R’s – and remember to start easy and make small steps toward the goal!

• Reminder (the trigger to start the action)
  • Make it visual.
  • A calendar or checklist works great. Put it on the fridge or in their room.
  • Parents will need to give reminders at the start.
• Routine (the action you want to take)
  • Make sure kids know specifically what they are expected to do.
  • Practice together.
  • Make sure they are capable.
• Reward (what you get for doing the action)
  • Have the new behavior be rewarding to your child.
  • Offer something special when the new routine is completed.
  • This should be small, but meaningful:
    • 2 pieces of small candy
    • Extra screen time (10 minutes or so)
    • Penny in the jar to earn something bigger at the end of the week

Practice Example: Home Learning

Here’s an example of how you can build a new daily routine for home learning.

• Reminders
  • Make a daily checklist of activities that need to be completed.
  • Print out or draw (get the kids involved too).
  • Post it somewhere obvious.
  • Provide verbal cues about what is next and what has been completed.
• Routine
  • Specify what each activity means throughout the day:
    • Cell phones put away unless being used for learning activity.
    • 30 minutes on math means complete your daily worksheets.
    • Study sight words for 15 minutes.
    • Log in for virtual classroom at 10:55 a.m.
    • Take a break from 10 to 10:30 a.m. for free time.
• Reward
  • Offer both short-term and longer-term rewards.
  • A 30-minute free time break can be part of the reward.
  • Older kids might get access to their phones periodically during the school day.

How Can I Help My Kid Break a Bad Habit?

To break a bad habit, the process is like forming a new habit – but in reverse!

• Remove the reminder
  • Put the tablet or TV remote in a cupboard
• Break the routine (make it difficult to do so!)
  • Move the tablet or TV remote to a different area of the house
• Remove the reward (don’t reward the behavior)
  • Only allow kids to watch programming you approve of so they don’t get the reward of watching their favorite show every time they sit down.

Healthy Habits Checklist