I can’t believe it’s here already, but school will soon be in session. I don’t know how it is at your house, but my kids have a tough time getting going in the morning. The last thing I want before I send my six year old daughter to first grade ALL day (she went to half day kindergarten) is rushing, nagging and feeling unprepared. Everyone knows about earlier bedtime on school nights, but even with our 8:00 bedtime, I am still dragging them out of bed by 8:30. What to do???
- Be Consistent. This may seem like a no-brainer, but kids like adults, have internal sleep clocks and they really do need to go to bed and wake up at similar times each day.
- Lay out the next day clothes the night before. My first grader is really starting to be interested in what she is wearing. Sometimes we don’t agree…get it hammered out the night before.
- Wake the kids up in a cheery singsong voice. No one wants to start the day with a “get up, get moving, come on, we’re late!”
- Make time for a healthy breakfast. I know you’ve heard it before, but a sugary pop-tart is not going to cut it. Your kids need carbs and protein in the morning. The protein will sustain them until lunch and the carbohydrates will help give them energy and get them moving.
- Pack lunches the night before. This way you can spend your time on other “semi” emergency matters that always arise. Don’t forget to leave a quick cute note in your youngsters lunchbox!
- Get barstools for your kitchen counter (if applicable). We purchased a set from Target this summer and these have been worth every penny. I can just slide the cereal right across the counter to them and chat away while I am doing this or that in the kitchen. Previously I had been trying to sit at the table with them and was constantly getting up for orange juice refills, more fruit, cleaning up, and refilling my coffee cup!
- Make a morning routine checklist. I love this idea and it has really worked for us! Before the girls can come downstairs they have a simple little chart (that they made – makes it more meaningful to them) posted outside their bedrooms. It includes; Did I: go potty? get dressed?, make my bed?, give mommy a good morning hug? The older daughter wrote the checklist out and my four year old illustrated it. They are very proud of it and saves me from nagging. They just check their list!
- Put toothbrushes in your downstairs bathroom. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before! The last thing my girls wanted to do after eating breakfast was to trudge back upstairs to brush their teeth. They just wanted to get on with playing! We keep a pair for them in our downstairs bathroom (the suction cup ones from Crayola work great). This way when they finish their breakfast, they can brush their teeth and off they go.
- Have their backpacks prepped the night before. This meaning, permission slips signed and ready to go, any notes to the teacher have already been written and stored, sharing or show and tell items and homework have already been safely placed inside.
- Leave the house on a good note! This means being positive, upbeat, and conversing about the fun day ahead. There will be times that things are rushed and stressed, but you don’t want your child focusing on those kind of memories for the first half of their day at school.
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