Summer Routine

I am a great believer in routines. My student life was spent preparing routines, never mind sticking to them. However, for children, even very small children, routines are not just a way to make them work, it is a necessity. Routines give children direction and is good for them to know exactly what is expected of them. I believe in its own way it inculcates a sense of discipline. My daughter would not brush her teeth during the whole of the summer if it was not included in her routine.
I know the routine I have made seems too much. After all it has 4 hours of study time included in it. However, it is easy to be fooled. Routine is not a rule. Routine is a general guideline, and my daughter follows the break times very diligently, but the study times are very loosely followed. So more days than not, I would be lucky if she puts in about an hour of serious work, and whiles away the rest of the time doodling or staring out the window or "searching" for her stuff.

Its OK though. The idea is not to overwork the child. The idea is to show them what is expected so that they try to follow it from now.
Believe it or not, this has actually reduced her TV watching time since it is not included in the routine at all. She now watches during the afternoon break for some time and maybe if dad is late, then post dinner.