Weekday mornings can feel like a race against the clock that you never win. Between finding missing shoes, packing lunches, and convincing sleepy kids it's time to get moving, mornings before school are often the most stressful time of the day.
While we can’t give you more time in the morning, we can offer some tried-and-true strategies that can help your family start the day on the right foot!
1. Do tomorrow’s work tonight. Getting everything ready the evening before can make a huge difference to everybody’s stress level. Get everyone’s lunch packed, backpacks zipped, forms signed, water bottles filled, and outfits (including socks and shoes!) laid out before bedtime. This can make a great addition to your “wind-down” routine at the end of the evening, too.
2. Create a “landing pad” by the door. Create a designated space near the front door for backpacks, shoes, jackets, sports equipment and library books. Nothing gets put anywhere else. You'll spend far less time searching for missing gloves five minutes before the bus arrives!
3. Simplify breakfast. You don’t need to offer a lot of choices in the morning. Figure out what everybody will eat and make it available for them to grab and graze. Overnight oats, granola bars, yogurt cups, toast with nut butter, cut fruit and berries, hard-boiled eggs, and smoothies prepared the night before are all good options.
4. Create a picture checklist for kids to follow. A simple checklist with pictures can help kids complete tasks independently. Add pictures for tasks like getting dressed (with all of the parts of an outfit), brushing teeth, eating breakfast, making sure everything is in their backpack, and getting shoes and coats on. This can reduce nagging and give kids a sense of autonomy over their morning.
5. Set timers and add extra time. Whether it's five minutes until shoes go on or ten minutes until everyone heads to the car, timers create clear expectations and reduce power struggles. Still running out of time? Give yourself an extra ten minute buffer!
6. Give kids choices, but narrow the options. Lay out the blue hoodie and the green hoodie and let them choose between those options, rather than asking them to choose from everything in their closet. Offering limited choices helps children feel involved while keeping the routine moving. Open-ended questions can feel overwhelming and slow down the routine when everybody is still sleepy.
7. Protect bedtime routines to make mornings easier. Parents often discover that the best morning hack actually begins the night before. Consistent bedtimes, calming bedtime routines, and enough sleep make it much easier for kids to wake up ready for the day. Routines can sometimes slip on weekends and that’s okay, but, especially for younger kids, consistency is the key to a peaceful week.
Let your family find their own rhythm! The most successful routines aren't necessarily the most elaborate; they're the ones everyone can stick with consistently. You’ll know your routine is working when you’re getting out the door with a little less stress, a few fewer reminders, and maybe even enough time to enjoy breakfast together. CCM
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