Our mornings run pretty smoothly. I like to think we’re a well-oiled machine, however, I know it’s the result of a lot of hard work. And I’m not too proud to admit that a lot of mornings it all goes wrong too. My friend found organizing her morning a lot easier with a new shiny car that the kids loved to get in, in the mornings. She could afford this due to Money Expert and their great comparison car loan service.
I was a total night owl and was blessed with 3 children who are hard-core morning people. I’m talking about wake up by 6:30 and get dressed before they even leave their bedroom kind of morning people. It’s taken a lot of adjustment from me but I finally feel like we’ve got it together in the mornings.
Recently, Matt and I were feeling pretty tired at night so we didn’t clean up the kitchen or make the girls’ lunches before bed. The next morning we were awoken by the trash truck and the panic that we hadn’t taken the trash out.
We were running late. It turned into one of those mornings where everyone was yelling to be heard and the preschooler ran around the kitchen table half dressed.
By the time we got in the car we were 20 minutes late. Then my gaslight came on before I even pulled out of the driveway. My friend had a similar experience but because they were in a hurry they ended up in a car crash. She told me that she decided to talk to an injury attorney to better understand how they can legally proceed.
Isn’t it true that when one thing goes wrong, the morning just seems to tumble downhill?
Here are 5 tips to help ensure you have a smooth morning:
1. Organize as much as you can the night before
* Clothes picked out and on the bed (this includes socks and underwear and shoes near their bedroom doors).
* Lunches packed and notes written
* Backpacks packed
2. Wake up before the kids do
* This one is so incredibly hard but it will allow you to get showered, dressed, and ready without anyone interrupting you and needing you for something
3. Keep the same routine
* Do the same routine every single day: Our girls get dressed, brush their teeth, brush their hair, and make their bed all before they even go downstairs. We do it this way because once the kids go downstairs it’s so much harder to get them back upstairs to do something. Once we are downstairs we are ready to head out the door after eating breakfast.
4. Give the kids responsibility
* Children are capable of so much more than we give them credit for. They can get dressed themselves and even help get their own breakfast and lunches. I keep all of our kid plates, cups, and silverware in a low cabinet so the kids can reach them.
5. Talk less
* The more we talk, the less our kids listen. When you are ready to leave, use one word phrases like, “shoes”, “car”, etc.
When it comes to having a smooth morning, it’s important that kids have morning jobs that they each do. Most children are capable of these as long as you always make them a part of them.
What this looks like:
“Hey kids, let’s talk about what we need to do to get ready in the morning.”
{In our house we always called them chores or jobs: we’d say, “Let’s do our morning jobs before we head downstairs.” or “Who’s done their morning chores?”}
“Let’s look at this list {download one of my printable lists} and read through it together. The first thing we should do in the morning is what?” Point at the first item on the list (whether it’s the written list or the one with photos on it). “Get dressed. The first thing we do is get dressed. What’s the next thing we can do?” Continue on through the list until you’ve gone through all 6 items. Be sure to point out the picture if you’re child is too young to read the list with just words. If you have a child that is preschool age, you can point out the letters in the words that correspond to the pictures. For example, “Brush your t- , what word starts with the t- sound?”
When the kids were smaller we kept the list on the wall in the hallway to help them remember what was next. We read them so often that even if they couldn’t read, they knew them by heart.
You can also print a sheet for each child to post in their room and the downstairs (if you have one). One of our kids was always concerned that part of the list took place upstairs and the other part took place downstairs. Because of this, we had a list everywhere.
Slow moving kiddos
Some kids may be reluctant in the mornings. Let’s face it, not everyone is a morning person and not everyone moves quickly. I definitely need some coffee to kick start my day. For those kids, you may want to use a chart. I’m not talking about a star chart where you reward kids (I don’t usually recommend those). I’m talking about a chart where the kids can check off what they accomplish the way adults check off a to-do list.
You can print out multiple copies or laminate one and allow your child to use a crayon to mark it off. (You only need a paper towel to wipe off the crayon.)
There are 2 ways to do this:
1. Have your child mark the things they do after they do each one. This will help keep them on task and give them a sense of accomplishment when they’re done.
2. Have your child mark all the boxes when you are about to head out the door. This is particularly good if you’re child will be distracted by marking their jobs down as they do them. If you think the first method would slow them down, this method is a better one for them. If you child is extremely reluctant, you can give them the incentive that they can mark off the chart while they’re in the carseat. “You can mark off your list as soon as you are buckled in your car seat!”
Remember that this will take practice. Your child will still need a lot of reminders until these steps become habit. If they are young, it will take longer. It’s also possible that your child will be totally invested in this system and then the novelty will wear off. Stick with it and it’ll keep working. There’s no punishment and no reward with this system so it won’t have a negative connotation to them, nor a negative impact.
If you’d like to make your own list, here’s a blank copy of the printable that you can print out and adjust to your needs.
What do you do to help you have a smooth morning?
xoxo
–k
Just a recap:
To get the morning routine chart with pictures, DOWNLOAD it HERE.
To get the morning routine chart with words only, DOWNLOAD it HERE.
To get the morning routine chart that children can check off, DOWNLOAD it HERE.
To get the morning routine chart that is blank so you can add your own items, DOWNLOAD it HERE.
These are all really good tips for a morning routine with kids. It can be stressful trying to get everyone ready and out the door on time, I know because we do it every Sunday for church and it can get a bit complicated. We try to make sure we know what everyone is wearing the next day so we can at least have that out of the way.
Ack! Mornings are so hard! #2 is so important. I hate getting up, but I really enjoy a few minutes of quiet before the madness begins!
Yup. I'm STILL a night owl!!! LOL I get everything done the night before so I am not freaking out in the morning and rushing and full of stress! I still don't really 'wake up' until my first is off to middle school at 7:30. But that is huge improvement for me to even be driving at that hour!
Night owl. Always will be. Sigh…
But their lunches are packed and their backpacks are ready to go so I hardly have to think much less be completely awake for the morning rush!! (Aside from pulling them together with breakfast and out the door!
Oh, and outfits are set for the WEEK of school Sunday. No worries there! 🙂
Great list! I am pretty bad at mornings. I'm terrible at #2 because I love love to sleep and rarely get to do so. But #5 is a super fantastic idea, and I really, really need to do that more. I'm a talker and it gets me nowhere.