Sample Daily Routine for 3 Year Old Toddlers

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Need ideas to create a daily routine for toddlers? This daily routine chart is for 3 year olds. It helps to not just structure their daily schedule but also answers questions about their daily activities like what time they should go to bed, afternoon naps, snacks and how to tweak their routine if they are at preschool.

This is a daily schedule for 30-36 month old children – the exact one that I used for three of my four children. I hope it helps you see how easy it is to get your child on a routine.

All children (and their parents!) benefit from routines. It is always good to know what to do next. This goes for children too.

A routine is just a set of daily good habits that we are helping our children learn.

Why moms need a routine for their toddlers

Little children cannot understand time. They may almost say it, if they could! They feel powerless wondering what is expected of them next. That is why the tantrums happen.

When you are following a daily routine, children learn to see a rhythm happening everyday. It brings harmony to a household and more cooperation.

When my eldest was 2 years old, I had my second child. Life suddenly became so busy. I was always feeding my little baby and running after two kids while trying to keep the house together

I was always so tired. At the end of the day, I felt like I wasn’t giving my son enough attention. He needed more time with me. he was cranky and I wasn’t a happy mom at all.

• Was it his fault that I had a little baby to look after too?
• When should I love him? When can I play with him?
• How do I teach him all the fun things this world had to offer?
• Should my son be only following me around …. bored?

Related reading: How I got started on Routines and why I recommend them.

Toddlers need routines and structure to be happy

When kids get bored they resort to all their naughtiness. According to kids, negative attention is better than no attention.

The age between 24 months till they reach 5 years old is when your children’s intelligence is highly developing. They want to learn what the world is.

How things work, how people talk, what do grown ups do… They are fascinated by everything around them. This is the time when children will resort to back talk, bad behavior and messiness if they don’t get the right attention or structure in their life.

Having routines or a schedule where children are taught how to go about their day in a healthy manner keeps not just boredom away but also helps you teach your child the manners and morals that they need to learn. Routines help you parent better.

Difference between Routines Vs Schedules

Is it just a routine that your child needs or would a schedule be more appropriate?

The difference between a routine and schedule is that routines tell you what you are doing daily. A schedule includes time, so you have a rough idea on when things are happening.

I’m sharing below a sample schedule for 3 year old. I followed this for all my children. I hope it benefits you.

What’s a good Daily Schedule for a 3 year old

10 years ago, I was an overwhelmed mom who needed some sort of a structure in my life to manage two kids under 3. This routine was formed after reading various parenting books, days and weeks of note taking and tweaking the timings till I saw a pattern emerging.

I found that a good routine involved the following:

• Wake up
• Breakfast
• Dress up and potty
• Morning activities
• Lunch
• Afternoon activities
• Bath time
• Dinner
• Bedtime routine

My routine below is very similar to this.

What sleep schedules should you follow for 30-36 month old children

There are quite a few different type of schedules. Some people like the 7am-7pm routine while others prefer kids waking up a bit late.

My children followed the 7am to 7pm routine because this is what worked for me and my family. You can use this same routine and add or minus 30 minutes to make the 8am to 8pm routine or 6.30am to 6pm routine.

3 year olds need about 10-12 hours of night time sleep. I don’t recommend children sleeping later than 8.30pm because then their mornings will be disrupted. And it moves lunch time and nap time further off.

Does 3 year old need a nap?

Most children under the age of 30 months need two naps. A smaller morning nap between 9.45 and 10.15 am and a longer afternoon nap between 1-3pm. This routine sample below is for those children who have outgrown the morning nap.

Children at this age need an afternoon nap to help them enjoy the rest of the days activities. Lack of sleep is always one of the reasons for children to not eat properly. When kids don’t eat, I am sure you know how they throw tantrums.

Most children don’t outgrow their afternoon nap until they are 4-5 year old. If your child is not sleeping the afternoon even when he is on a 7am-7pm routine, you can include a quiet time.

What if my child goes to nursery, preschool or kindergarten? 

This routine will work as a teaching schedule for your 3 year old as well. Some children may be attending day care or preschool in the morning. Two of my children attended lower Kindergarten while following this plan. It worked fine as in incorporating a learning schedule as well. I hope it works for you too.

Recommended reading: Sample Routine for School Going Children

Sample Daily Routine for Toddlers

Morning Routine of a 3 year old

6-7.00am: Wakeup and Potty

Generally, most children wake up early between 6.30 to 7am. Follow the natural rhythm of going to toilet and washing up.

Most children are potty trained by their third birthday. If your child is still in the process, one of the best ways to naturally encourage it is by allowing them to use the potty every morning. Show them how to use the potty. Remove their diaper, throw in the bin, show them how to wash their hands and then sit on the potty.

Related reading: See this post about Potty Training your child in 3 days

Help them choose an underwear to wear under their pajamas after they are done. You can get these ready the night before too.

7.30am: Eating Breakfast:

Breakfast should be served as soon as they get up even before they change their clothes for the day. The reason for this is because usually I find that kids dirty themselves while having breakfast.

I encouraged my kids to feed themselves breakfast while my husband and I ate. This helped them learn table manners as well as help me to have my breakfast at the same time.

It is very important that breakfast be no later than 7.30am if lunch is to be at noon. Kids who eat later will not be hungry for lunch at 12.30pm. This will make them delay the afternoon and once that happens, your whole routine will be disturbed for the rest of the day. For this reason, I preferred that my kids (whether they went to school or not) should eat breakfast by 7.30am.

I also found that whenever kids woke late and had breakfast late, they would be so cranky all day. My youngest (now almost 5 years old) still feels confused and anxious when she gets up late in the morning.

Remember that toddlers can’t tell time but they can sense that something is miss. They may be hungrier from the night before and therefore more unlikely to cooperate so better wake them to eat if they are over sleeping.

8-8.30am: Dressing up and getting ready

After breakfast, remind them to use the potty again so that they can empty their bowels. Generally children who have a good breakfast with fiber and fruits, feel the urge to go naturally. This is a good way actually because when your child starts school, you may not really know when they will be going. If they are ashamed to go in school or even at home if your child isn’t going regularly, it could signal constipation and other problems. Once a habit forms, your child will automatically go.

Related: See this post about what to do if your child holds his poop

The last important part of your morning activity is to get dressed. 3 year olds love to dress up and try different combinations of clothes. I love this age when they are exercising their right to choice.

Let your 3 year old dress themselves. Remember it is a learning age. Help them sort through to choose their clothes. Show them how to mix and match.

Use this as an important teaching opportunity to show them how to dress. Also, remember to remind them that we generally only change our clothes in the morning, when we are going out or at night before bed.

Daily Schedule and Activities for a 3 year old

One of the most common dilemmas mothers have is that when they wake their children up so early at 7am, they wonder how to entertain them all day long.

Please remember that your child is your family. You don’t have to entertain them. Look at your toddlers as little helpers in your home.

Toddlers love to help. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why they come inner way. They want to help their mom in doing BIG things. 

If they have a little sibling, you may be finding it hard to mind them and take care of the baby at the same time. The best solution to this is to involve the older child in your daily routine. 

My best tip is to keep an active commentary going. Your 3 year old (if a first child) may be still learning to speak clearly. When you talk, it benefits them in learning new words and also boosting their listening skills.

Involve your child and teach them the names of things around you. Tell them action words. This is actually the best form of homeschoolig!

Chores for 3 year olds

3 year olds love to help and be called helpers. Age appropriate chores empower them to build their confidence.

Yes, they are toddlers but they are fast going to become preschoolers. When you give them age appropriate little things to do, they see it as an opportunity to please us.

They are capable of independently doing a few things by themselves so involve your 3 year old child in your day to day life. Let them see you work. Show them how to do things. Let them help you. Give them little responsibilities that they can do by themselves too.

A three year old can do many things by themselves. For them, everything is a game. There is novelty and learning in all things around him.

When you do the laundry, help them sort the clothes according to colors or size with you.

‘Mommy’s clothes, daddy’s pants, my sock!’

‘Red t-shirt, blue pajamas, grey skirt with pink flower prints.’ Say it for them. Help them see the fun in sorting.

When you clear the breakfast table, help them carry the cereal box or a glass for you. Show them how to use the spray bottle to wipe the table. Ask them to push the chairs.

In the morning children are full of energy and fresh. Sometimes they will get up filled with ideas of their own. Let them play by themselves while you clear the table or wash the morning dishes.

Related: Please see printable activities to teach your child

• Giant List Alphabet and Literary Activities for Preschool.
• FREE Beach themed Worksheets for kids
• Birthday themed Printable activities for kids
• 70 Hands on kids activities

9/9.30am: Mid-morning Snack

Half way through the morning, around 9/9.30am, children need a glass of water and a little something to nibble on.

They are not hungry but more so just needing a snack. Half a glass of milk/juice/water and some light snacks like a muffin or some crackers or fruit is enough to renew them.

If they are attending nursery, you may need to pack a good lunch for them because more activity may be involved. Also remember that since, they are eating a good lunch at school, they will need a lighter lunch when they come home.

I prefer to add some protein to their school lunches if they are at nursery because they will need the energy to get home. If they are at home, I will hold the protein part for lunch time.

Late morning Preschool activities

Late morning is the best time for learning to read and write. All three of my kids on this routine, enjoyed the morning homeschooling time. My youngest was exclusively homeschooled while she was this age. This was the time we did the most activities.

Related: You can see this post on planning kids activities everyday.

Since their energy is really high at this time, it is a good idea to have them in front of you. Even while I made lunch, I made sure they were somewhere I could see them. If I could leave the lunch to cook by itself, I preferred that. When I had to be cooking actively, I made sure to walk in and out on them not leaving them unattended for long.

Around 11.30am, their energy will slowly start to dip. It is a good idea to let them do some coloring while watching some screen time learning like poems or phonics on TV.

Afternoon Routine for a 3 year old

The afternoon routine starts at noon and continues till 5pm when they start dinner.

12.30 – 1pm: Lunch time 

12.30pm to 1pm depending on when you had your breakfast, is when to have lunch.

It is a good idea to introduce good table manners at this time.

• Help them set the table with you and then use forks, spoon, knife.
• Show them how to wash their hands properly before and after eating.
• Remind them to say their prayers before and after eating.

It is just little tiny things but teaching them now, they will remember for life.

How to manage babies with toddlers

If you have little babies, you may be feeding them too. All my children are very close in age, so I always had a baby and a toddler with me.

At lunch time, I would feed the baby and the toddler together. Baby in high chair (if she was eating solids) and toddler in a booster chair to eat by him/herself. The older child loved to help themselves. I sat next to the baby with toddler in front across me. This was always easier as I just had to get up from my seat to reach for the older child.

What to feed your toddler

Another thing to remember is that children who are not having their main protein meal at lunch need a good dinner. If you find that your child doesn’t eat well at their lunch then make sure that the dinner is heavier.

It is very important for children to get the right amount of proteins. Lack of proteins in children will make them cranky, less likely to sleep well and wanting more milk. They will get tired easily too.

Related: See this post about feeding your toddler and picky eating tips

Afternoon Routine and Naptime for Toddlers

The afternoon nap whether a baby or a toddler is the longest. Both my children (baby and toddler) would sleep from 1pm to 3pm. When the toddlers were in nursery, they got home by 12/ 12.30pm so I’d feed them lunch and get them into bed right away.

I find the afternoon naptime to be the best time of the day for myself. I am a very hands on parent who likes to spend as much time as I can for my child. So naptimes was when I would lay down with my kids. The baby snuggly tucked with her blanket and the toddler by my side on my bed. I wouldn’t sleep but I’d make sure to keep my phone away. Usually, the afternoon naptime was when I would write my blogposts or crochet my projects. The kids grew up understanding that when mom picked up her notebook or needles, it was time to sleep.

They don’t take more than 15- 20 minutes even on a bad day. Just make sure to not have much eye contact during naptimes or too much talking. I would only reply in one or two words and say ‘hmm… after we get up, we can talk.‘

If this is your first time implementing a routine, I’d like to advice that you don’t need to lose heart if things don’t work. Just give it time and be consistent.

After they get up from the nap around 3pm, offer some light snack and water. Crackers, biscuits and fruit is a good idea. I don’t want them too full for dinner 3 hours later but I also don’t want them hungry. A light salad either vegetable or fruit with milkshake works well without filling them up too much.

3.30 pm: Creative play

Afternoons are the times when we have our crafty sessions. I find that kids cooperate more easily in the afternoon compared to mornings. They also have more imagination and creativity. Playdough, stickers, paper crafts, sensory play – this is the time to do it.

It is also a good idea to introduce some faith studies like memorizing the scriptures at this hour. We always learn the Quran at 4pm after Asr.

Related reading: Sample Summer Time Schedule for Kids

5pm: Bath time routine:

I prefer bath time after creative hour. The reason being, they are more cooperative, less fussy and it is still day light. Also, we do a lot of sensory activities in my home. I prefer to wash off all signs of messy play before dinner.

5.30pm: Tea / Dinner

Dinner, right after a bath time is very relaxing for my children. They eat calmly and relaxed.

After dinner, I want them to digest their food, so I ask them to help with age appropriate chores like I mention in this post. They have to help me clean their room and pick their toys and clothes if any. They can put the shoes on the rack or collect water bottles or glasses from around the house.

5.45 pm: Bedtime Routine

Our bedtime routine is to change into their pajamas, go to potty, brush their teeth, read a book, get in bed with a lovey and say their prayers.

My elder two slept in their own beds from birth but the younger two shared our bed. I would lay with them till they slept and then move out to do my work till my bedtime.

I always prefer to lay with my kids till they are almost asleep because it is just so much gentler. I don’t like the Cry-it-out method or leaving them to stare in the dark. My eldest is now 11 years old. In all these years, raising four children, one thing that I have learnt is that they will not want you laying next to them till they sleep. There will come a time when they will say, ‘that is enough mom, I can sleep on my own now.‘ At that time, it will feel very awkward and a little hurt to your mommy heart.

When my son said it, around when he was 7 or 8 years of age, my husband was a little taken aback. I had two little babies then so I would attend to the girls while he helped our son. The two boys enjoyed their bedtime routine. Hubby loved hearing son’s stories and musings but then after sometime, he would say, ‘Okay that’s enough. Good night. I need some space on my bed please.‘ It was hilarious but suddenly so sad to hear that!

Your Next Steps to Creating a Good Toddler Routine

• Step 1: Grab our Free Printable Toddler Routine Chart that explains an ideal Toddler Routine.
• Step 2: Get the Calm Confident Children’s Bundle that has all our tools necessary for creating stable routines for children that nurture positivity and confidence in both mother and child.

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