Getting an entire family up in the morning and then dressed, organised, fed and out the door could easily be a recipe for a meltdown or two, especially when everyone is tired and attempting to make the transition from lazy summer days to busy school year mornings.

There are a few ways to ease the school morning stress and implementing a routine is one of them. Not only can a school morning routine help to allow everyone to know what their function should be each morning, but it greatly diminishes meltdowns and helps to start the day on the right foot.

Enough Sleep is Key

Before you even start to touch on the school morning routine, it’s a good idea to ensure that everyone is getting enough sleep the night before. It may seem obvious, but sleep is a key component to ensuring a positive day.

The amount of sleep children need depends on their age and stage in life. If you find that your little one seems tired and needs help waking up each morning, it is a good idea to take a look at your bedtime routine and make sure your little one is in bed in good time.

Not only will enough sleep help to ensure that your little ones are happier and well rested, it will greatly decrease the amount of time spent each morning attempting to wake them up.

Prepare the Night Before

A great way to reduce the amount of stress felt on a school morning, is to prepare everything the night before. This greatly reduces the amount of responsibility each family member has in the morning, and allows for an easy, more predictable school morning.

• Prepare breakfast – Things like overnight oats can be prepared ahead of time, allowing for school mornings to go a lot smoother and ensure that everyone has a healthy breakfast without the fuss.
• Packed lunches – Packing lunches the night before is a great way to give your children the ability to just grab and go without worrying that they have everything they need.
• Clothing – Making sure that uniforms and clothing is laid out the night before.
• Pack backpacks – Have bags packed and in a set location to make sure, no homework is forgotten, or no books are left at home.
• Have shoes ready – This may seem like an obvious suggestion, but the truth is many end up struggling to find that one shoe that has gotten lost Have shoes neatly lined up and ready to go under their backpacks for an easy transition out the door.

Wake up Before the Kids

While you may want to get as much sleep as possible each morning, it is always a good idea to get up before the kids do. This allows you some time to wake up, get yourself ready and maybe even enjoy a quiet drink in solitude before the little ones need your help. I find getting up before means I can be nearly ready and have some of the household jobs done with the washing machine on, pots washed and sometimes especially in slow cooker season I have prepped the tea before the kids are even awake.

Have a Chart

Some children, spending upon age may thrive with a chart. Spend a little time to make a routine chart that your children have to complete each morning. Include basic things and have them listed in the order they should be completed.

• Make bed
• Get dressed
• Brush teeth
• Comb hair
• Eat breakfast
• Put lunch in backpack
• Get shoes on
• Grab backpack
• Have a great day at school!

Once you have chosen a routine and order for things each morning, go through all the steps with your little one, describing each task they must complete. This will help you figure out what will work best for everyone.

Having a morning routine will help each member of the family to take ownership of some tasks that need to be completed, without expecting that someone will just do everything for them. Reducing the stress your family experiences each school morning with a routine, will help everyone to have a more positive day at school or work.

Do you have a set routine in the morning?