Daily routines

From the 6th month, when the child starts to catch her feet, she enjoys taking off her socks. In the second year, this activity becomes part of understanding and executing orders: "Take off your shoes, take off your socks, put on your shoes and socks." Taking off shoes is an activity that precedes putting on shoes, but the child will show initiative to try, practice and in the end successfully perform the action. The same goes for taking off and putting on the lower and upper parts of the clothes.

If we want to include orientation in space and stimulation of motor activities, we give orders to a child to go to the room and bring pieces of clothing from the closet, we place pieces of clothing on beds, armchairs, where children can safely climb up and take them. Through this type of activity, in addition to stimulating the use of the hand, it also stimulates several areas of development:

• social interaction
• communication and speech development
• improving motor skills
• improving hand function.

Routines make both adults and children safe. We eat in the kitchen, bathe in the bathroom, dress in the room, keep our shoes in the hallway, sleep in the bedroom. All things stand in the same place, they take place according to a schedule that is known, in a way that is similar, without haste.

Feeding

Food is a nutritional need, but also a powerful sensory experience. Very often in our culture, food carries the message of love: "Whoever cooks for me, whoever feeds me, loves me."  Childhood scents, including of food prepared in our homes, are memories that we evoke when we want to feel comfortable. Smells connect memories. Food is colored differently in different periods of life, it has a different texture, taste, smell. Initially, the food is used for playing, kneading, mixing, spreading, throwing, and then it goes into the mouth for further processing. Family lunch is a place where children observe what others are doing and imitate them and always want food from their plates. Food can be eaten with fingers, a spoon, a fork, chopped with a knife. It is always eaten in one place that is provided by the organization in the house, without a TV, telephone or any other distraction, because food should be experienced with all the senses. 

Household chores

Children like to participate in household chores. Through these activities we again expand communication, prolong active attention, improve hand function. 

• Dusting
• Taking the laundry out of the machine
• Taking off the dried laundry
• Washing the dishes with a sponge
• Putting in and taking out the dishes in the dishwasher
• Vacuuming the house
• Sweeping the yard with a broom
• Cooking together 
• Mixing, kneading, measuring sugar, semolina, flour with a spoon  squeezing an orange, pouring ...

In order to stimulate all areas of development in children, we need: patience, imagination, daily routines in which children participate in their own way, according to their abilities for which they should be praised, rewarded, motivated for further research and of course always under supervision and in a safe environment.