Create a Schedule
Sit down with your kids and come up with a list of all the things that need to be done from the time they wake up until the time that you need to leave the house. Explain to them what time you need to leave the house and create a schedule for each child including times for each task. Write out the schedule and hang it in a prominent place. For children who are not yet reading, use pictures to represent tasks, such as brushing teeth and putting on their shoes.
If you see your kids getting off track, have them check the schedule to find out what they should be doing at that time. You can also use the kitchen timer to help keep your kids on schedule. “They can see the timer moving and they are much more aware of the amount of time that has passed,” says Rachel Rudman, mom of two. Rudman also suggests a sticker chart to encourage younger children to stay on task by giving them a sticker for getting their morning tasks done on time.
Get Everything Ready the Night Before
One of the best ways to save time in the morning is to get as much ready the night before as possible. Set out your kids’ clothes or get them to pick out their outfits, including socks, shoes and jewelry. “The night before, program your coffee maker to start brewing 10 minutes before you are ready to drink it,” says Patricia John, Professional Organizer. Another way to save time is to set up the night before for breakfast with bowls, spoons and glasses. You can even set your family’s favorite cereals out on the table.
Put all homework and permission slips into their backpacks and put all backpacks in a specific spot. Johns also recommends putting all of your own belongings, such as your keys and cell phone, in the same spot so that you can easily pick them up on the way out the door. You can also make lunches the night before and have them ready in the refrigerator. If you do not want to make lunches the night before, John suggests writing out a lunch menu for the entire week to help make packing lunches go quicker.
Give Your Kids Responsibility
Look at your schedule and see what tasks your kids can be responsible for completing independently. Tanya Peila, whose son is in Kindergarten, got him an alarm clock so he can wake himself up in the morning. She puts all of his clothes for the day in one place, and he gets himself dressed.
Have each child be responsible for getting groomed and dressed. You can have older children pack their own lunches. Be sure to provide guidelines for what they should include or not include in their lunches. You can also assign your kids some of the chores that need to be done in the morning, such as feeding pets or turning off all of the lights in the house.
Spend Quality Time Together
Try to spend at least a few minutes of quality time with your kids in the morning. Reconnecting with each other will start your kids on their day feeling loved and important. On mornings where time is short, you can make a point to sit together while eating breakfast and instead of reading the paper, make a point of talking with your kids.
If you have a few extra minutes, you can play a short board game together or take a few minutes to read a chapter from a book together. You could also get up a little early on some mornings and take a quick walk with your kids. By starting the day enjoying each other’s company, you will find yourself calmer and less stressed about the morning rush.
After a few weeks of your new routine, sit down with your kids and talk about what is working and what can be changed. By working together, you can come up with a morning routine that gets you out of the house on time and starts your day off on a positive note.
Jennifer Gregory is a mom of two kids and three dogs. She enjoys playing a quick game of Uno in the morning before school when she can.
