Morning Routine for Back to School!

The kids are back to school and the morning battle has begun! Getting up, out of bed and ready for the school day can be a major struggle for kids and parents alike. A morning routine is imperative to the start of a good day and a happy family. Here are a few tips to help parents and kiddos start the day right!

     Look at your bedtime. Some children need more than the 10 hours of recommended sleep. If you kiddo has trouble getting up in the morning, they might need an earlier bedtime the night before.

    Let you child set their alarm clock. A simple task such as waking up on time is a responsibility easily transferred to your children. While they may need some help getting into the habit, when they set their own alarm clock they fully understand the expected wake up time and the consequences if the alarm clock isn’t followed.

“I set my little one’s alarm clock across the room. To turn it off, he has to physically get out of bed and walk towards the door.” – Aubrey

     Hang around for a minute. If your child needs a little extra help to get going in the morning, try standing by their bed and talking with them for a few minutes. Staying in the room allows you to ensure they do not get back into bed and you can walk them to the next station of the morning routine.

     In the morning, FUN ranks dead last. A lot of parents let their children watch TV, play video games or play with toys first thing in the morning. If it is Saturday, great! Monday through Friday, kids should get dressed, eat breakfast, gather their daily items and brush their teeth before anything fun is allowed to happen. Keeping them on task and successfully following a routine is imperative to getting the kids ready for school and the parents ready for their day as well.

      Keep in mind the little extras. If your child still can’t seem to open their eyes or frequently gets back into bed after waking, try a few unexpected extras to start their day. Sing them a wake up song, play tickle monster under the covers or open the windows to let the sunshine in! One of the parent blogs suggested warming up a robe in the dryer on cold mornings. Let you kids know that a warm robe is waiting for them, but it cannot be reheated. It’s a one-time deal, so they better wake up if they don’t want to miss out!

Monitoring the morning routine can seem like a hassle, but if a family can create good morning habits, kids will be ready for school, parents will be ready for their tasks and everyone will have a smile on their face all week long!