Back to School: Tips for Morning Routines
Back to school! Its that time of year that makes moms happy and sad; happy to start new routines and sad about the energy and organization it can take to get your family going. Throughout the month of August we are featuring organized moms who will help get you started back to school with the toughest tasks.
Moms are challenged to get everyone out the door on time with a smile. These ideas can get everyone’s day started off right.
Morning school routine
The most important thing I do to make school mornings run smoothly is to do ALMOST everything the night before. My goal is for everything to be done except for obviously breakfast, getting dressed, and brushing teeth. Here are some of the things I do the night before that make our mornings more manageable:
* Unload the dishwasher – I loathe spending extra time in the kitchen late at night when it feels like I’ve been in there ALL DAY, but it’s so worth it to start the morning with a clean kitchen. The breakfast dishes are a quick rinse and load and then I’ve got a clean kitchen again.
* Pack lunches, fruit break, water bottles – another kitchen chore that I despise doing at night, BUT it’s even worse to deal with the next morning, so I make myself get it done!
* Set out backpacks, shoes, and any other items that are going to school that day
* Lay school clothes out as I’m tucking kids in at night
When I slack off and don’t do one or more of these chores the night before, the result is a scattered, hectic morning – not a good start to the day!
Another trick that works for me is to require that the kids eat, dress, put on shoes, and brush teeth and hair before they watch any cartoons. They are motivated to get these small chores done and they enjoy having 10 minutes or so of TV time before we head to school.
Meredith Delap is a stay at home mom of three. She enjoys reading, the beach, and peace and quiet.
Fantastic ideas!
Thanks Laura! Having a plan makes all the difference.
Remembering the back to school days so well. Now are kids are grown and managing their own morning routines. One tip that was very helpful was having a staging area like cubbies or hooks right near the point of entry or exit. All items that would be needed in the morning were ready and waiting in their designated “spots” the night before so they could just grab and go in the morning. This included backpacks, notes to teachers, permission slips, finished homework, or reminder notes to them like “get lunch from fridge.” This helped to make the mornings run smoothly.
Thanks Linda! Having this right by the door makes all the difference. Thanks for sharing.
Making lunches the night before is good for anyone who has to pack a lunch, even without kids. I used to have to leave home at 6:30 AM to commute to work, and if lunch wasn’t made the night before, I was buying lunch that day for sure. My sister used to make a whole loaf of sandwiches at a time, and then freeze them. That didn’t appeal to me, but her husband never minded!