Nov 13

Nov 13 Shifting Routines with Gentle Curiosity

A sense of routine has generally kept things ticking along at our house. It helps everyone know where they need to be, on what day, and what comes next. There’s a comfort in that, like the soft hum of a familiar song. But every now and then, life shifts a little. Someone gets sick, holidays roll in, or we notice that a habit that once helped us is no longer quite right. And suddenly things feel a little out of rhythm.

And that’s when the real question appears:
How do we shift a routine without turning everything upside down - especially for our little ones?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what next year might look like for us. I’ve also been gently exploring a change in our screen habits, especially that automatic “we’re home = TV goes on” part of the day. It’s familiar, predictable, and honestly, convenient. But sometimes convenience gets in the way of connection, and I began wondering what might happen if I created a different kind of “default setting.”

Our “Second Space”

A few weeks ago, I started offering a tiny invitation before we even opened the front door.
Something simple, like:

“When we get home, let’s check if anything has shifted in the fairy garden.”
“Let’s finish our nature-finding walk in the backyard.”
“Would you like to craft or colour with me.”

Almost immediately, the pull of that second space, the outdoors, the dining table, the gentle noticing - became stronger than the pull of the screen.

It doesn’t take much to set up. A few paint pens left near a picnic blanket. A basket of leaves collected on a walk. A stone to wash and paint. Suddenly we’re outside together, tending to our garden, crafting, chatting, simply being.

This “other place to go” became a bridge in our afternoons. A soft landing. A small ritual that made the transition away from screens feel less like a removal and more like a redirection.

Start with One Transition

If you’re wanting to shift a routine at home, try choosing just one moment in the day. That’s it. One little window where you gently place something new.

Some ideas to get you started:

Morning Basket

When the kids wake, have a small surprise waiting on the dining table perhaps fresh
colouring pages, stickers, a tiny world of animals, or a toy set up in a new way.

Silliness works well here, try combining toys that don’t normally play together to see the reaction… like Spiderman using his web to get the donut with the help of the Dinosaurs!
It doesn’t need to be fancy; it just needs to spark curiosity.

Afternoons

Bake muffins or cookies together (with fruit to snack on while they warm in the oven).
Head straight to the library or a local park.
Stop at the supermarket to choose ingredients for a special treat you’ll make together later.
Play a simple board game or card game.

When We Model, They Follow

I’ve also noticed that when I’m reading a book, folding laundry, or baking, the kids are much more likely to join in, play beside me or go outside to ride their bikes. When I’m present in my activity, they settle into their own presence.

Little ones don’t need perfection.
They just need the rhythm of a home where connection gets a chance to appear.

Go Gently

Routines shift slowly. They take patience, and sometimes they take a few tries. But a playful invitation, a fairy garden, a colouring page, a basket of nature treasures, can be enough to open a new door for your family.

Here’s to small adjustments, magical second spaces, and rhythms that grow with us.

Further reading to inspire a magical outdoor space:
Who needs toys anyway
Petal Power
Little Scientists