Morning Routine With Kids - Get Children Ready For School

Get your lunch. Brush your hair. Where is your backpack?. Your going to need a jacket. How do you not know where your shoes are?

Has this ever happened to you? If you are a parent, you are probably familiar with this routine every single day of your life. In this video, we are going to help you create a morning routine so that your kids can get out the door on time and you can keep your sanity.

Once your child starts school, it becomes essential that you get out of the house on time. We often blame our kids for us having to race to school. The reality is if your young child is late to school, it’s your fault. Certainly as they get a little bit older, they become responsible for themselves.

However we need to teach them how to establish a routine to be on time and consistent. Let’s get started.

Step #1 – Take inventory – Write down all of the things your child needs to do before you leave the house – eat breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, prepare backpack, etc. Put them in chronological order (that’s they order in which they should happen).

Step #2 – Establish the time you to leave the house. – Whether you drive your child to school or they walk, be realistic with the time it takes to get there. Establish the time that doesn’t require you to get a speeding ticket or them to sprint in order to not be late.

Step #3 – Work backwards with realistic time slots. For example, if you need to leave at 7:30am, they need to have their backback ready at 7:25 and finish brushing their teeth and hair by 7:20. You get the idea.

Step #4 -Establish the wake up time – This is the crucial step as the wake up time then becomes the foundation for the morning schedule. If your child has trouble waking up, then you probably need to establish an earlier bed time. If they need a little extra time in the morning, then you need to account for that in the schedule.

Step #5 – Make the schedule visible for everyone – You can put a whiteboard in the kitchen, print out copies and laminate them, but just make sure it’s in very visible area for everyone to see. I would suggest putting the schedule in a common area such as the kitchen as well as a copy in your child’s room or even the bathroom. I have made a sample morning routine schedule.

Click here for my sample morning routine schedule.

When the kids are just starting this, you may want to put a check box next to each activity. Little kids seem to like checking them off as they go.

Here are some additional tips to be successful with your morning routine:

Have your children take part in creating the schedule. Allow them to help establish the times.

Also, try to be on the same page with your spouse or coparent – it will be hard to have it stick if one follows routine and the other doesn’t.

Instead of telling your kids what to do, ask them questions like “What should you be doing after you eat breakfast?” or “What time do you need to be dressed by?

One of the mistakes I made was consistently pushing my kids forward. It wasn’t until I backed off and eased up that they began to be successful at it as they were no longer relying on my to keep the schedule. Remember I said in the beginning that if your child is late, it’s your fault. It ultimately means we have not taught them how to establish a routine and be on time. Be sure to set a good example. You rushing out the door last minute or being late yourself doesn’t help them establish a consistent routine.