Your family life includes many daily routines that your child knows by heart—in the first hour after waking up, for example, your child knows the pattern of getting dressed, eating breakfast, and heading to the activities they’ll do before a morning nap. Such routines help you create a predictable, stable environment for your little one so they know what to expect.

But you may also notice that with your child’s rapid growth comes the need for revised routines. For example, once a child begins insisting “I do it!” when getting dressed, that part of the morning schedule needs more time. Your toddler may want to walk instead of ride in the stroller. As more advanced play skills develop, it may become more difficult to transition from play time to clean-up because they are more engrossed in play.

As you look ahead and wonder what growth the next year will hold for your child, you can know that you will keep developing new routines and rituals that fit their needs. And those will change again and again as development continues to unfold—not just your child’s development, but also your growth as a parent.

In Good Morning, World!, our new board book, little ones can follow along with lovable animal characters as they go through their morning routines, and learn about how to incorporate God into every day. To learn more about the book, click here.

Originally Published 3/2/2017