Morning Mastery

One of the hardest things about going back to school – for kids and parents – is getting back into a morning routine after a summer spent at a casual pace. Some parents feel like it’s a constant battle to get their kids ready for school and out the door, but by infusing a little structure to your daily schedule, mastering the morning routine can be as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Set an alarm – It sounds like a simple step, but having children get up at the same time every school day is a huge first step in helping make your morning routine more enjoyable. There will likely be a lot of push-back if kids aren’t used to getting up at a specific time every day, but as the weeks pass, they’ll get used to it. And they might even quit complaining at some point.
2. Create a routine – Although many kids will say that they hate structure, nearly all of them tend to do better with more of it in their lives. This can be especially true when it comes to having a routine in the mornings that helps get them ready for school. If they have an order of events they follow every day – Brush your teeth, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, etc. – they will eventually put themselves on auto-pilot in the morning because they know what’s expected of them and when they need to have each task completed by to get out of the door on time. Once the auto-pilot kicks in, you won’t have to remind them nearly as often what they need to do next, and what time it needs to be done by.
3. Stick to the routine – It can be so easy to start getting lackadaisical with the routine as the days wear on, but don’t fall into that trap. Again, the name of the game here is structure. Once kids know what’s expected of them, they’re likely to meet or exceed those expectations. That doesn't mean, however, that they won’t try to push the boundaries. They might try to sleep in and skip their shower. Or take a little longer in the bathroom and ask you to make their lunch instead of making it themselves. One of the hardest things we have to do as parents is stand firm. The good news is that the more often you do it, the less you’ll have to do it.
4. (Bonus) Have Fun! – It’s so easy to get caught up in the chaos of a morning routine that a stressful morning routine becomes the norm in your house. Don’t let it. Find ways to keep the levity in your mornings and kids will undoubtedly respond in kind. Make getting out the door a contest and offer prizes to every one of your children who meet their morning expectations. Instead of harping on your kids, joke about them running late and that they might have to walk to school if they miss the bus. As challenging as it can be, try to keep a smile on your face all morning. Or at least until you get the kids out the door.

Getting back into the routine of getting ready for school is never easy. But it doesn’t have to be stressful, either. And, like nearly every aspect of parenting, it doesn’t last forever. And despite what you might think today, you’re going to miss these days at some point. So, have fun with them now. Have fun creating a morning routine and sticking to it. Not only will you make your life easier, but you’ll teach your children valuable lessons that they can put into practice long after their school days are past.