How to Make a School Morning Routine: Learn how to make mornings less stressful
How to Make School Mornings Less Stressful
Get your shoes on! Grab your lunch! What do you mean you had homework last night? You just had your shoes on. Where did they go?!
Does this sound familiar?
School mornings can get crazy really fast. Like, as fast as it takes for your kid to lose his shoes that he just had on…
While I can’t make your mornings completely easy going, I can assure you that by following these tips, your school mornings can become less crazy and less stressful.
Will these tips work all of the time? Hey, I’m a mom of four kids. I know that not all plans are perfect! But trying to stick to a plan is way better than no plan at all, am I right?
How to Get Ready In the Morning Faster: Establish Routines
This is my number one tip, and this isn’t just for the kids: Establish routines. By establishing routines, you can actually get ready in the morning faster.
This is for everyone in the family, starting the night before school and leading right up to the moment everyone is out of the house. When everyone has a routine and follows it, then you waste less time reminding everyone what to do next and how to do it over and over again. It eliminates some of the frustration you may encounter if no one had a routine to follow.
This is what our routine looks like, starting before bedtime:
- Pack lunches and snacks.
- Prepare outfits for the next day. Iron clothing if necessary.
- Put necessary bags and backpacks in an easy to reach location, packed and ready to go.
- Locate shoes and put them near door.
- Shower or bathe the before bed.
School Morning Routine
The next day, we continue on with our school morning routine, which looks something like this:
- Wake up with an alarm.
- Eat breakfast and clean up.
- Brush teeth.
- Style hair (apply makeup-for Mom).
- Get changed.
- Put on shoes.
- Put lunch in backpack/bag.
- Out the door to school/work.
Does it always go this way? Sometimes life throws a wrench in our plans, but for the most part, we stick to this school morning routine.
[bctt tweet=”Less stress in the mornings? Yes please! READ: Easy Ways to Make School Mornings Less Stressful & More Delightful #parenting #momlife #school #backtoschool” via=”no”]
Complete Homework and Sign Paperwork The Night Before
Homework and paperwork should not be completed in the mornings.
Let me repeat: Homework and paperwork should not be completed in the mornings.
I’m telling you this as a former teacher and a parent. Not only does it add to the craziness, it also does not adequately give students enough time to practice skills, nor does it give you enough time to properly fill out forms and read important information.
When the kids come home, it’s totally fine to give them a little brain break before they dive into their homework. A healthy snack at that time is helpful. After the break, it’s homework time.
Use part of their break time to ask them questions about their day and if they have any paperwork for you to sign. If there is paperwork, read over it, sign it, and have them put it back into their folders.
All homework and paperwork should be placed back into backpacks when it is completed so no one is looking for it in the morning. Place the backpacks by the door so they can be grabbed on the way out.
Not a Morning Person? Me Neither!
I fully admit I am not in any way a morning person. I cannot speak to anyone until I have had my coffee and my breakfast and have given my brain a chance to de-fog.
To combat this anti-morning mood that I have, I get up at least a half hour before my kids and my husband. I set an alarm that is gentle on the ears yet enough to wake me up (with one or two snoozes, of course).
By the time everyone else is awake, I am mentally ready to go and can peacefully help the kids get ready for the day.
Even waking up 15 minutes before everyone can help. It’s totally okay to take some extra time for yourself before the hustle and bustle begins.
This can apply to kids who aren’t morning people too. If they hate being awakened by someone else, have them set their own alarm to awaken 10-15 minutes early to approach mornings at their own pace.
Keep Breakfast Simple
Don’t have time in the mornings for a big breakfast? Keep breakfast simple to keep mornings less stressful.
My kids get about 15-20 minutes to eat in the morning, so they choose foods like:
- granola cereal and milk
- waffles and peanut butter
- whole wheat toast and peanut butter
- bagels
- oatmeal
- hardboiled eggs
- fresh fruit
Follow my Easy Breakfast Ideas for Kids Pinterest board for ideas!
Make Mornings Delightful
Make mornings less stressful and more delightful with music that everyone can appreciate. Did you know that music can boost your mood and reduce anxiety? Recent studies have shown that music, almost any type you prefer, can improve your mood and help you prepare for the day ahead.
Of course, there may be some battles about what kind of music to play. Try playing a different type of music every day of the week so everyone gets to hear something they like. You can also try creating a playlist with a mix of songs that will keep everyone happy.
We have created several playlists on Amazon Music that we rotate through. Each day there’s something that everyone likes playing in the background as we get ready for school.
Want to listen to something other than music? Try these podcasts for kids!
Another way to make mornings more delightful is to talk about what everyone is looking forward to for the day. Talking about the fun events coming up can help boost everyone’s mood, even if it’s talking about recess or how they’re looking forward to lunch.
You could also read an inspiring quote to help your family think positive thoughts as they start their day. If there isn’t any time to read and discuss the quote, you could always create printable inspirational quotes to hang up where everyone will see them.
Plan to Leave 15 Minutes Before You Need To
Make it a plan to leave your house at least 15 minutes before you actually need to leave. Why? This way, if something unexpected happens in that 15 minutes, you’ll still be on time once you resolve the issue.
Try to Stay Calm
I know how hard it can be to stay calm when time is ticking and no one else senses the urgency to leave the house on time, but losing your temper can actually slow things down.
As calmly as possible, remind your children of the routine and be clear of the expectations. It might help to give instructions one at a time as your kids complete each task before moving on to the next one. If you give all instructions all at once, they’ll most likely be forgotten and you’ll end up repeating yourself.
You can get down on their level to really help them understand how important it is to you to get ready on time. You could even say something clever like “When we start the day right, we have a fun night” to give them a little incentive and help them move a little faster in the mornings.
What is Your School Morning Routine?
What helps your family get out the door on a school morning? Have any tips to share? Leave a comment below about your school morning routine!
Tom @Ideas4Dads says
Great read! With a 8 6 and 4 year old in the we are still refining our morning routine. We link getting ready every day with pocket money and one of the keys for us is to make everything the kids need accesible to them e.g. clothes brushes toothbrushes cereal so they help themselves:
Rimi says
I really struggle to get up early in the morning, but trying my best, I think your tips will help me.
Thanks