5 Tips To Get Back Into A Morning Routine For School

I am a morning person (and a night owl …), but 2 of my 4 children have to be dragged out of bed in the morning, which makes for an unpleasant start to the day. Summer was a welcome break from the morning battle of waking up, nagging them to get dressed and begging them to eat breakfast. Minus a few weeks of camp spread out over the summer, our morning routine was much more relaxed. But as the ringing of the morning school bell looms closer and closer it’s time to start thinking about a routine that will work for you, not against you. Here are 5 ways to get back into the school routine.

Back to School5 Tips To Get Back Into A Morning Routine For School

  1. Avoid a fashion crisis. I vividly remember one morning of elementary school when I refused to get on the bus for school because my socks and jeans were “bothering” me. My mother wasn’t too happy. Now, that I am a mother, I can completely related to her frustration. In an effort to speed things up in the morning I make everyone pick out their clothes the night before – right down to their socks. If you have strong-willed preschoolers, give them 2 choices so they feel like they have some control.
  2. Skip the kitchen rush. I often get frazzled while making 4 breakfasts and 4 lunches every morning. Make this process a little easier by prepping as much of the lunches as you can the night before. Even better – choose breakfasts that you can make in advance (homemade muffins, baked egg cups, homemade pancakes).
  3. Create a backpack zone. Set up an area near the door or in the kitchen where you hang all the backpacks and lunch boxes. Create a colorful checklist (and then laminate it!) to hang near the backpacks – this helps eliminate much-needed items for school being left at home. Here is a great set-up from Delightful Order.
  4. Chart the morning. Morning routine charts can be very helpful, especially for younger children. Here is a printable one from The Organised Housewife. Laminate it and hang near your children’s rooms, in their bathroom or in the kitchen. This will help keep everyone on track without constant nagging.
  5. Mom’s wake up call. One of the best tips I can give is for Moms to wake at least a half hour before your children. The days I allow myself to sleep in (to the late hour of 7 a.m.), I end up feeling rushed and frenzied, which in turn makes my kids feel rushed and frenzied. I prefer to wake up at 5:30 a.m., have coffee, start some laundry, answer emails and finalize my to-do list for the day. This helps me to feel more in control of the tone of the morning.

Start testing out your new morning routine the week before school so it’s not a shock the first morning, and if you are starting the year off at a new school, make sure you give the route a test run to make sure you allot plenty of travel time. If your children ride the bus, make sure they are familiar with the bus stop and procedure.

Have a fantastic school year!

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