Almost every parent can attest to the fact that morning routines bring chaos to the average household. Whether the kids in question are teens, elementary schoolers, or toddlers, ensuring that everyone is fed, prepared, and ready for the day before leaving the house can be a monumental task.
Add in the need of working Moms and Dads to be mindful of the day’s events and also get out the door on time, and you have the makings of a firestorm of stress on everyone’s part.
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The good news is that there are ways to devise a morning routine for kids that teaches the art of preplanning, gets everyone involved, and eliminates the frayed nerves and raised voices that are probably familiar to every one of us.
The trick is to keep your daily regimen as simple and predictable as possible. Even more important is to create good habits that minimize rushing, because a less-frantic pace allows the opportunity for mental checks, which in turn helps avoid missed appointments, forgotten soccer cleats, or a report being left on someone’s desk.
Better yet, the following five tips will improve the morning routine for kids in your home.
1. Establish ground rules.
Once you’ve convinced your family of the benefits of an improved routine, explain how important it is for everyone to buy into the new plan. Let them know that each family member will have specific responsibilities and that screens are to be off while you all get ready for the day.
2. Do what can be done the night before.
Collaborate on a written schedule for the next day that covers everyone’s plans and responsibilities and can be posted on the refrigerator. Select the next day’s outfits to avoid “I can’t find socks” and other morning time-wasters, and place shoes, outerwear, sports gear, and musical instruments by the door. Pack homework and sports clothing into backpacks, fill water bottles, and put prepared lunches into the refrigerator. Agree on reasonable but fixed bedtimes, and insist that alarms be set before lights-out.
3. Have the family get up and running in the morning.
Greet the day with the lights on, the shades opened, and maybe even some music playing. Devise a bathroom rotation that works for all schedules and enables everyone to be cleaned up, dressed and ready in time to eat before they leave.
4. Declare breakfast a self-serve event.
For those who are old enough, cereal, bagels, toast, fruit, hardboiled eggs, and yogurt are easy-fix, low-mess options that encourage independence while filling stomachs for the busy day ahead.
5. Build in five extra minutes for a streamlined departure.
With backpacks already filled the night before, all that remains is to fetch lunches and water bottles and put on coats and shoes. Last but not least, train the family in the mental-inventory habit. This consists of reviewing the day’s schedule to ensure that everything that will be needed is going out the door with you.
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” — Stephen Covey
Will a household reset that puts these ideas into practice take a bit of time? Most likely. Will the end result be worth a few days of demonstration and review? Also quite likely.
By instituting these easy-to-follow practices in your home, you can create a morning routine for kids that lessens household stress, teaches organization, and encourages self reliance.
Cheers to less-stressful mornings!
