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Routine guide

A homework routine that makes starting possible

Snack, clear the table, first ten minutes, break, finish. In that order, because that is the order that works.

The hardest part of homework is almost never the homework. It is the sitting down. A routine that puts a snack and a cleared table before the work, and asks for ten minutes rather than an evening, turns an argument into a sequence.

What actually helps

  • Ask for the first ten minutes only. Almost every child continues past ten; almost none agree to an hour.
  • Put the break in the routine. A break that is a step is a break that ends.
  • Finish with putting everything back in the bag. It is the step that saves tomorrow morning.
  • Stop at the end even if the work is not finished. Finishing the routine is the habit you are building.

What if the homework takes longer than the routine says?

That is useful information rather than a failure. Flowly records how long the step actually takes and will tell you when the estimate is consistently wrong, so you can set it to something honest.

The routine

✏️ Homework

  1. Snack and drink first 10 min
  2. Clear the table 3 min
  3. Get everything out 3 min
  4. First ten minutes 10 min
  5. Break 5 min
  6. Finish it off 15 min
  7. Everything back in the bag 3 min
Use this routine

Free for one child and three routines. You can change every step.

Your child sees one step at a time

Not the whole list. The step they are on, big and clear, with the next one quiet underneath, and a count of what is already done. That is the entire child experience, and it is why it works when a chart on the fridge stops working.

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Get dressed

about 8 min

Tap Done and try it the way your child would.

Other routines

Getting off screens without a fight Ten minutes, then five, then a clear ending, then something quiet. The transition, not the task, is the thing that needs help. School bag checklist for kids Six things, in the same order, checked off by the child rather than by you. Visual routine checklist for children Pictures, one step at a time, and progress they can see. Free for one child, with twenty routines to start from. Picture routine cards for children Three card sequences that hold in most houses: seven for the morning, five for after school, eight for bedtime. Plus one rule for the card that gets skipped.

Flowly supports routines and organisation. It is not a medical, diagnostic or therapy product, it does not assess anybody, and no diagnosis is ever asked for.