Getting the kiddos ready and out the door for school on time can be stressful. How many times do you have to ‘politely’ tell them to get their shoes on before turning into Momzilla and telling yelling at them to get their shoes on?!? You know those mornings, the kind where you do a quick glance at your neighbors’ house as you walk out to leave the house, just to make sure they weren’t outside and would have maybe happened to overhear the threats of “I am taking away your *favorite toy* if you don’t get ready in One, Two, Three. Okay, now I am really serious! iPad will be gone for one week if you are not out the door and in the car by the time I get in. Come on, please listen! Okay, I am leaving if you are not in the car and you will have to find your own way to school. Now buckle up. BUCKLE up. BUCKLE UP!!! NOW!!!”
Mornings do not have to be so rough. By creating a routine, you can make getting ready for school a lot let stressful; for you and for your kids. Starting off the morning on a good note sets the tone for the rest of your day. Make it a good one!
Grab your cup of coffee, and let’s go over some ideas for coming up with a morning school routine that works for you.
First of all, plan on waking up before your kids.
By waking up and having a little alone time, you will be ready to dive into the morning routine of getting your kids ready. Enjoy a cup of coffee, maybe catch up on social media, and get yourself dressed, hair done, makeup on — okay, let’s be real, grab the dry shampoo and throw on your leggings — all before it is time to wake the kids up. This will eliminate the stress of trying to finish your own morning routine while also juggling the kids’ routine.
Now that you have yourself all ready to face the day, let’s talk about the kids’ morning school routine.
Establish a Set Time To Wake Up
Whether you use an alarm clock in their room or you wake them up with a cheerful “Good morning,” plan on getting the kids up at the same time every school morning. By establishing this routine, it will allow for the rest of the morning to go much smoother. Figure out what time works best for your kids to allow them the appropriate amount of time to get the morning school routine done in time to walk out the door on time.
Eat Breakfast
As soon as your kids wake up and after they go to the bathroom, have them eat breakfast. Do not let your kids skip breakfast! Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. They have to get used to not sneaking snacks all day like they did all summer.
If you allow them to watch TV or their iPad, while eating breakfast is a good time for them to do this. As soon as they are done eating, turn off the TV or iPad and have them start the rest of their morning school routine. The TV can easily distract your kids, so you may find out that this is one part of the morning routine that you need to eliminate.
Brush Teeth/Wash Face
Once their tummies are full and they have picked up their breakfast plates, send them in to brush their teeth and wash their faces.
As one of our Stickers and Stilettos hubbies is a dentist, this is one step of the morning routine that is a must for all of our S&S kiddos!
Get Dressed
Now that they have kiss-ready breath and sparkling teeth, have your kids get dressed. This includes brushing their hair and putting on socks and shoes. If you do not allow shoes in your house, have their shoes ready by the door so that they can slip them on when it is time to walk out.
A great shortcut that may work for you is to have your kids pick out their outfits either the night before or at the beginning of the week. This will eliminate the stress of fighting over mismatched outfits or a shirt that is really too small and needed to be taken out of their closet months ago.
Backpack
Establish a routine of having your kids make sure everything is packed in their backpacks the night before. This way, all they have to do is hang their backpacks in the designated spot and grab them when it is time to go. If they are taking a cold lunch, have them grab that out of the refrigerator and put it in their backpack. If your kids are participating in after-school activities, have that bag ready and packed the night before, as well.
Off To School
Set a timer on your phone so you know when it is five minutes before you need to head out the door to make it to school on time. As soon as the timer goes off, have your kids go to the bathroom one last time, get shoes and coat on, grab backpacks, and head to the car, ready to tackle the day with a smile on all of your faces.
By establishing a morning school routine, you will find there is much less stress and yelling. Once your kids figure out the routine, they will follow it on their own … with a little prompting from you.
Drop the kids off at school, head to grab yourself a little yummy morning treat, and then tackle the day like the Mom Boss that you are!
I hope these tips help to make your morning school routine less stressful!
What do you do to help make your morning routine go as smooth as possible?
-Callie
