Forget January, September is when everything starts anew when you have school aged children! I figure I have survived 1065 school mornings so far and every September I vow that this is the year I am going to achieve the perfect back to school morning!
We all dream of smooth, calm morning routines where everyone walks out the door for school dressed, fed, brushed and on time, but the reality is most mornings are a scramble, throwing lunches together, searching for permission forms, breaking up arguments, and running late causing the kids to eat breakfast in the car!
This year, we are following our ‘6 Rule’s for School‘ to ensure we get off to a healthy start!
Routine. Kids thrive on routine and parent can relish in it. Bedtime should be as consistent as wake up time. When everyone arrives home from school, everything from homework to permission forms to library books goes in one place and things like hats, mittens, jackets are hung up in their place. Nothing goes astray and no one can use the “I couldn’t find it” excuse!
Reach. Put everything in reach so the kids can help out. A low
pantry shelf can hold small cereal containers, bowls, spoons and cups sobreakfast can be handled on their own by children as young as three.
Responsibilities. Share them! Kids love to help! They can handle picking out clothes, emptying the dishwasher, packing up their backpacks, taking their vitamins, setting out the lunch containers and filling water bottles.
Reminders. Get some poster board, colourful markers and talk with the kids about what needs to get done each morning: get dressed, brush hair, brush teeth, homework/library books, vitamins, pack backpack, empty dishwasher, etc. Then post this list of reminders on the hall closet door. When kids are not sure what to do next, they know where to look to make sure they have completed everything. Add in stickers or a check list for the really young ones so they feel like they are accomplishing something.
Recipe. Make a commitment to yourself and your kids that this year you will strive to make at least one homemade snack. Get the kids to help. A double batch of oatmeal applesauce cookies and a loaf of whole wheat banana bread take just an hour to make and will get you through at least two weeks of school snacks. Store in the freezer cut up and ready to pack in lunch containers on school mornings.
Relax. Every new routine will take a bit of tweaking, but if each family member is given a role and works toward the same goal, your morning routine will quickly become second nature. And if you still show up late to school one morning and forget to brush hair, it’s OK, math class will still happen and tomorrow is another chance to try it again!
What re your back to school morning routine tricks that help you avoid the mad dash out the door?
