A Parenting Plan and Visitation Schedule Template for Young Children

The first rule when making a parenting plan or visitation schedule is that it should meet the needs of the child. In order to meet the child's needs, parents must understand the developmental stage of the child and make the plan accordingly. This means that child of different ages require different things in the parenting plan. Here is a parenting plan template for young children to help parents in the situation.

Young children (around early elementary school age) are better able to handle the changes that come with divorce and separation easier than toddlers. When children reach this age, they are able to be away from a parent for overnights and longer periods of time. They also have a better concept of time and days, and they are able to look forward to events in the future.

Because of this, a visitation schedule template for young children can incorporate multiple overnight visits to the parent that the child doesn't live with. Parents can also start thinking about a joint custody arrangement for a child this age because the child will be able to handle frequent switching of homes.

When making the schedule for young children, the parents must consider the relationship that the child has with each parent. Ideally, at this age, the child will have close relationships with both the mother and father. If this is the case, the child should have frequent visits with each parent. These visits can be overnight or evening, and can last through the weekend too. Each parent should have enough time with the child to maintain and further develop a bond.

A parenting plan for young children can be developed to strengthen the parent-child relationship in a situation where one parent has been absent or less available. It is crucial that children of this age have involvement from both parents. This will help the child adjust better to the separation and do better socially later on. To strengthen the relationship between the child and one parent, the mother and father can agree to gradually increase the duration and frequency of visitation and the parent can plan activities for the child.

Children of this age do better when there is a clear schedule for them to follow. Parents may consider printing out a calendar of the custody and visitation and show the child the visitation time. The parents can also set up phone calls and other interactions so the child knows both parents are available.

The parenting plan template should also contain the provisions and stipulations that apply to the young child. Parents should think about how they will handle visitation transportation and other custody issues. They can make plans to prevent arguments and conflict. This will help the plan run more smoothly.