An Intentional Evening Routine for Moms of Young Kids — 4 Shifts That Set You Up for a Peaceful Tomorrow

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An intentional and simple evening routine is the key to avoiding frequently chaotic mornings — especially with little ones. But I’ve learned as a mom of three kids 4 and under, that a smoother morning always starts the night before. While no two families are the same, a consistent and simple night routine can make a major difference for you and your kids.

This isn’t about perfection and hustling until bedtime. It’s about creating realistic rhythms that work for your home — and help you feel a little more grounded when the sun rises again.

1. Start your evening routine by reconnecting with your children.

I know that sometimes by the end of a long day, it might feel difficult to connect genuinely. Oftentimes we are exhausted and want to rush things along, but devoting quality time into your evening routine to reconnect after a long day is good for our souls. 

It doesn’t have to be a long routine, but having a consistent rhythm for bedtime not only helps your kids know what to expect, it also helps you shift gears.

Here’s what our wind-down routine typically includes:

• Tidy up together: We do a quick pickup as a family — toys, books, dishes, sweep, whatever needs a quick reset.
• Books and prayer: We let each child pick out a book that we’ll read, plus a bible story, brush teeth, and say a bedtime prayer.
• Lights out: My kids thrive on consistency, so they know when bedtime is coming — and that helps cut down on battles. That’s not to say we don’t still find ourselves debating with toddlers who took too long of a nap, but we remain steadfast every night anyways.

As I mentioned, this process doesn’t have to be elaborate. Keep it simple and centered around what helps you connect with your children and what allows them to settle well. Research has shown that a consistent bedtime is linked to children being able to better manage their emotions.

2. Do a 20-Minute Reset for Tomorrow — You’ll thank yourself in the morning.

Once the kids are in bed, I give myself about 20 minutes to reset the house — not because I have to, but because I want to serve my future self well.

These are the things that make the biggest difference for me:

• Cleaning the kitchen: I always go to bed with a tidied kitchen — dishes done, counters wiped, and crumbs swept. It doesn’t have to be absolutely spotless, but it needs to be cleared and clean.
• Picking up the floor: No one wants to start the day stepping on LEGOs or tripping over a toy dump truck. When I’ve failed to do this, I usually manage to step on a toy at 4:30am and that is NOT the way I want to start my days.
• Prepping for breakfast: I prepare my kids’ milk cups and get them in the fridge, so that they are grab and go once breakfast is warmed up. 
• Set the coffee maker. If you’re a coffee drinker, I highly recommend taking one minute to prep the coffee maker the night before so that you have a fresh cup ready for you when you wake up. I personally love our coffee maker because not only does it allow us to schedule fresh coffee for the next morning, but it also works great for small spaces. It allows you to choose if the reservoir positions on either side or on the back. Oh! — and it can make a coffee pod OR a whole pot.

I certainly don’t deep clean or overhaul the house every night. I just do a few simple things that will help the morning start on a calm note.

3. Make space for yourself in your evening routine.

After that quick reset, I pivot to winding down. For me, this usually looks like:

• Taking a hot shower
• Putting on cozy PJs, applying my moisturizer, brushing my teeth and taking any nightly supplements
• Laying in bed by 9:30pm (ideally 9pm)
• Chatting with my husband for a few minutes and/or reading a few pages of a good book (some of my favorites lately are M is for Mama and Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad by Abbie Halberstadt!)

Because I wake up at 4:30am, a consistent early bedtime is non-negotiable. I don’t always feel like going to bed early, but I never regret it in the morning. But I can tell you that I do regret it when I do not prioritize my sleep.

4. Your evening routine should serve you.

There’s no one-size-fits-all routine. Some evenings will feel smooth, others might feel like survival. That’s okay. The goal isn’t to follow a rigid checklist every night, but to create repeatable rhythms that bless your family and provide you a bit of peace — even in a busy or overwhelming season.

Start small. Choose just one thing to add or shift this evening. Maybe it’s putting the dishes away, or setting out clothes for tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. One of the easiest ways to create some of these new habits is to find an existing habit to anchor them to.

If you need inspiration, I recommend you check out my habit stacking post which covers 50 different examples for busy moms based on category. 

Remember: you’re not just managing time — you’re stewarding it with intention.

Need more help creating simple and repeatable rhythms?

I’d love to help you build a simple daily rhythm from start to finish, grab my free SAHM Daily Schedule Toolkit — it’s a super simple step-by-step guide to help you create a flexible schedule that works for your family and home.

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Be sure to pin these steps for creating an intentional evening routine, so you can always reference them again should you need them!