Embracing The Power of Schedule
Email 1
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Subject Line: Embracing The Power of Schedule, Part One
Hello Ministry Family and Friends:
Can you believe summer is almost to an end? Where did the time go? I feel like we just got out of school!
I hope you and your family could get some time together this summer. If you could afford it this year, I look forward to hearing about your vacation adventures from your kids!
Summertime, like every other time around the year, seems like it ends up being scheduled and over-scheduled. I know you will love this month’s Online Parenting Class because it is all about the “power of schedules.”
As you watch, I hope it got you thinking because it got me thinking for sure as we end summer and head into the fall.
Make sure you, as parents, do set healthy schedules for the rest of this summer and into the school year. Really sit down and think about there being a “a time for everything….”
I know from personal experience when we set healthy schedules in our personal, professional, and family lives it sets everyone up for success.
I hope your schedule is full of God’s grace and love as you pray over what works best your family’s schedules.
https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/257630089/eb48904a6a
In Him,
Children’s Pastor
Email 2
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Subject Line: Embracing The Power of Schedule, Part 2
A Late Summer Greeting!
What a summer we have had around our ministry!? I am so glad to see so many of you this summer between family events and vacations. I hope God has blessed your family, and we praise God for his safety as you traveled.
We are looking forward to another great fall around our ministry and hope you pull out your calendar now and put us on your schedule. Speaking of schedules, this month’s Online Parenting Class is about just that…Schedules!
I would like to offer up some helpful reflection questions for your family:
1. Scheduling Homework: What is my child’s most difficult subject? What is the best time in our family schedule for us to take some time to work on that subject?
2. Scheduling Sleep: What is the best time for my child to start winding down for the night in order to have them in bed on time? What are some distractions that keep my child from getting the best night’s sleep?
3. Scheduling Tech/Media: What are some good rules that we can decide on as a family that will give us time together?
4. Scheduling Play, Reading and Creating: What are subjects or topics that my child is into, that we could find books about that would engage them in reading? What is something that would be fun to do with my child to give us some creative play time together?
5. Scheduling Mom & Dad Time: What are the things in my schedule that could be rescheduled so I could have more time with my family?
Praying for your family and your schedule this coming month!
Grace and Peace,
Children’s Pastor
Video Script
Embracing The Power of Schedule
Being a kid is such a wild experience, and it’s an experience we all get one time on our life. Think back for a minute to your favorite parts of being a kid. It could be time with friends in a neighborhood. It could be memories with your grandparents. It could be adventures with your parents on yearly vacations. The common link is that the times we remember often come from unexpected places on holidays or weekends. They surprise us and stick with us.
The rest of childhood is a maze of figuring out how day-to-day life works. What our kids don’t know is that the parents are trying to figure things out also. As our kids move from grade to grade many parents forget the power of a simple idea that helps kids thrive. That tool parents forget about is the simple schedule. In this online parenting class we are going talk about how we can embrace the power of schedule.
We tend to think of schedules as helpful tools for preschoolers and focus on them less and less as kids move into grade school, but they are still desperately needed. Schedules take anxiety and uncertainty out of our children’s lives. We are giving our children clear expectations and a plan when we give them a set schedule. There are times in every week when no schedule is needed and everyone can choose what they want to do, but during the week schedules help everyone stay sane and healthy!
I know there may be some pushback, but this month let me suggest 5 areas you can set on your schedules that will help your kids succeed!
Homework
I have never met a child or parent that loved homework, but, trust me, it’s going to show up. When you set a schedule for when homework will be tackled you have a better shot of not allowing it to cause arguments. Set a normal routine so you and your kids know this is the time to accomplish it and ask you for help.
Sleep
Your 4th grader needs sleep! Studies have shown that sleep is one of the key indicators of children having success in school. Many parents allow their kids to decide when they head to bed, but that will always go poorly for everyone. Hold to a tight schedule for bed so each night has a better flow.
Tech and Media
Tech and media are fun and dangerous resources for our children. If you don’t set a schedule for when your children can be on devices they will always default to excess. Work with your kids, and make a firm schedule for tech use during the week and a plan for the weekend.
Play, Reading, Creating
Kids need space to have fun not involving technical devices. They need time to read books and the Bible. They need time to make and break things. They need to play and explore. Make a schedule for your kids to have this kind of time each week.
Mom and Dad Time
This is the best schedule we will talk about. Your kids need schedules so you and your spouse have time each day to actually connect, relax, and recharge. Leverage the schedule for kids so you as a couple can have a chance to actually sit down each night.
Schedules can be a good thing! Give it a shot this month.
Texts/Tweets
TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.
Tweet One: Parents forget the power of a simple idea that helps kids thrive; parents forget about the tool of a simple schedule. #parentinghack #schedule #parent #momlife #dadlife #parenttools
Tweet Two: We are giving our children clear expectations and a plan when we give them a set schedule. #parent #parenting #mom #dad #clearplan #parenttools
Tweet Three: Set a schedule for when homework will be tackled. You have a better shot of not allowing it to cause arguments. #parentadvice #momhack #homework #dadlife
Tweet Four: Sleep equals success in the life of your child. Set a regular bed time and you set your child up for a better tomorrow. #parenting #mommy #daddy #bedtime #successfulkid
Tweet Five: Kids need time to play and explore. Make a schedule to turn off the devices and go have real-life fun! #momfun #dadfun #nodevices #goexplore #goplay