Building active routines for our autistic and ADHD family

 If you ask me how I feel, most of the time I will reply with 'not bad' or if I'm feeling a bit open 'a bit tired'. I love our family but keeping up with everything and supporting everyone is sometimes exhausting. It's not that I'm physically running around, but I'll work, sort out therapies, deal with meltdowns and spend maybe 2 hours in a car dropping and collecting from schools or respite on a typical day.

It's all too easy for meals to become leftovers eaten over the sink, sleep to disappear as I stay up late to do things for tomorrow and exercise... well when would I do that? And it can be similar for the kids. I'm not good at starting something new if it doesn't fit in with our lives so when I want us to be more healthy or active I have to put into our routine... let's face it... my autistic kids lover a routine. So what can I do....

Keep Movement Simple and Fun

When my kids move, they feel better. This does not mean that movement needs to be strict, or that my kids always need to be involved in team sports, especially as this is not their thing. This is just going to make them dislike the activity rather than finding something that they enjoy.

One of the best ways that kids can actually get movement in their day is to simply get out - run at the park, jumping on the trampoline in the playground, or like us taking the dog for a walk. We try to do it at roughly the same time each day over the weekend - after lunch. It can be 15 minutes or two hours depending on the weather and what else we have planned but the routine helps us do it.

During the week we use clubs or children's fitness programs such as martial arts and gymnastics are also great ways to get your children active without it being hard work, and for them to find something that they enjoy.

Create Calm Evenings

Physical activity during the day is a fantastic way to help children unwind later in the evening; however, it is also essential that we have a good evening routine in place as well.

It's common for bedtime to be something of a battle between parents and kids; however, having a tip of a predictable wind-down routine can help massively when it comes to getting your kids to settle down at night. Start off with small signals that it's time for them to slow down, such as turning off the screens a good hour before it is time to ask them to brush their teeth, get their pyjamas on, and go to bed.

You may also want to try reading together or suggesting that they listen to some quiet music. All of this helps to teach them that it's time to start getting some rest and some sleep.

Model the Habits You Want to See

Kids watch how you deal with everything as their parents, so even when you think they're not paying attention, they probably are. David is non-verbal but copies so much that we do. If we make plenty of time for walks and have proper rest, then he will see that health isn't something that should be separated from daily life; it is actually a big part of it. 

 Healthy routines don't have to be complicated or perfect; they grow through repetition, not pressure. So we try to encourage our kids to have activities that feel fun rather than being forced, and make sure that we have a good, protected bedtime routine in place. We are still working on eating well... but that's something we'll have to do a bit more slowly.