How to make a bedtime routine chart that ends the nightly negotiation

Bedtime is when a routine pays off most: tired kids, tired parents, and the same five steps argued over every night. A picture chart the kids follow themselves takes the arguing out of it, and the kitchen screen can even dim for the night.

Pick the steps

Keep it short, calm and in the same order every night:

Ages 3 to 5: bath, pyjamas, brush teeth, story.
Ages 6 to 9: shower, pyjamas, brush teeth, pack tomorrow's bag, read for 15 minutes.
Ages 10 and up: the same, plus setting out clothes, charging devices outside the bedroom, and lights out at an agreed time.

Step 1: set when evening starts

Under Settings › Household › Parts of the day, set Evening from to when the bedtime routine should appear, say 6:30 pm. Each child's card switches to their evening steps then.

Step 2: add the steps

Open Tasks, tap Set up, then + and Add routine step. Give each step a name and a picture, tap the child it's for, set Part of the day to Evening, and choose its stars. The morning routine guide walks through every field.

Step 3: a reward worth waiting for

Bedtime goes better with something to look forward to. Add a reward like "stay up 30 minutes on Friday", priced so a good week earns it. See rewards and stars.

Step 4: let the screen wind down too

Set Quiet hours under Settings › Household, so the kitchen screen goes dark overnight instead of showing photos. See standby and quiet hours.

What makes it stick

Start the routine early. The chart works best when there's time to finish it without rushing.
Last step, best step. End on something they like, such as a story, so they want to get there.
Streaks. A child who finishes every step gets a streak; say so out loud the next morning.

Questions

Can the evening steps show at different times for different kids?

The parts of the day are set for the household. For an older child who goes to bed later, keep their steps short, or make them repeat only on school nights.

What about weekends?

Set the steps to repeat on school nights only, and add a shorter weekend version. Days with no steps don't break a streak.

Can they tick things off from bed?

Steps are ticked on the kitchen screen or a parent's phone, which keeps devices out of the bedroom.

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