Parenting Plans for 6-12 year olds

In part 3 of this 4 part series on recommended parenting plans we are discussing age appropriate plans for elementary school age children (6-12 years old).

Just as consistency and structure were important to toddlers and preschoolers, this remains an important theme as children mature, because of their busy social and extracurricular activity schedules.

It will require co-parents add extra attention to detail to manage activities with two households. Frequent communication between parents is a key factor. Children will need to know in advance where they will be; who will be delivering them to their activities; who will be retrieving them from their activities and that both parents will be present at games, concerts, competitions, etc.

Co-parents should set a firm weekly schedule and stick with it. This provides the most consistency and minimizes confusion for all involved. It also allows the child to have solid expectations as they are developing separate relations with each parent. There are scheduling tools such as Our Family Wizard available on-line that provide parents the ease of communicating and establishing a schedule.

The most effecting parenting plans include anywhere from 35% to 50 % of their time spent with each parent (assuming parents don’t live great distances apart). A plan for this age group can incorporate alternating blocks of 5 day overnights with each parent with one mid-week post school/several hour/dinner with the opposite parent who does not have the overnights that week. This ensures that children do not go longer than 3 days without seeing both parents. By the time children reach 10 to 12 years old, many co-parents can effectively alternate full weeks.

As the child increases in social skills, exposure to both male and female role models is extremely important. They will be observing parents and learning how to resolve conflict at this age therefore healthy co-parenting is an incredible opportunity for them to learn a significant life-skill.

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The post Recommended Divorce Parenting Plans for Elementary Schoolers (6-12 Years Old) Part 3 first appeared on Divorce Mediation Center.