Better School Morning Routines

So much chaos can happen when school morning routines are established for the first time or are re-established again as school time approaches each year. But chaos is not inevitable. With some simple changes in habits, some additional tools, and a sound system for independent behavior on the part of your children, school mornings can calm down a bit and become an enjoyable, loving time of the day. Here are several ideas for you to consider as you think about improving your own situation. I have indicated the parents’ goal, which is to make mornings easier, then given several possible examples and possible children’s goals. Teaching these new skills will save many a harried mother and hassled, frazzled children trying to get to school on time.

Parent’s goal: Eliminate school morning decisions and confusion


Make It Easier to Get Dressed

Make it easier to get dressed wherever possible. If your children are younger, choose their outfits by the week and put in a closet sweater holder by Monday morning. This is especially useful for children who are tired in the morning or balky about getting ready for school. What to wear has already been decided. It is one less tension in the home. Make up packets to include top, bottom, socks, and possibly underwear. Shoes are kept in one of the lower holders. In colder weather, store coat and winter accessories in bottom holder.

With older children, the same principle applies but with some flexibility. Instead of making up the packets for the week, children with independent capacities can set out what they will wear tomorrow the evening before. Children not so mature can be helped by their parents. Again, the tension of choosing under duress of limited time is eliminated and morning routines are relieved of stress.

Child’s goal: Get up, make your bed, take off your pajamas, put your pajamas away, dress yourself in today’s school clothes, and put on your shoes.


Teach Children to be Independent in the Kitchen

The goal here is to make it easy for children to get their own breakfast and then clean up after themselves. Choose several cold cereals and store them in opaque plastic containers. This makes finding the right cold cereal easier for everyone, especially if the cold cereals are stored at a lower, easy-to-reach location. Parents should have a backup box of all cereals stored up high at all times to save tears because a sibling used up all the cornflakes and there are none left for the later eater.

Teach children to serve and clean up after themselves every morning, including getting their own breakfast cereal, putting their bowl in the dishwasher (which means that the dishwasher must be cleaned out the night before), wiping the table where they sat, and pushing in their chair. Milk should be put away and the cold cereal container returned to its proper place. The principle here is that everyone does a little bit to keep the kitchen orderly.

Child’s goal: No one can tell you were in the kitchen because you cleaned up after yourself after eating breakfast.


Keep School Items Collected in One Place

Confusion is reduced when all items going to school the next day have a “home.” An example is having a labeled plastic container for each child for his or her school needs. When an apple is needed for a science project, put it the plastic container. Permission slips go here, too, as does the backpack, sweater, and books.

Child’s goal: All school needs, including backpack, science project items, and school library books are kept in personal school container. This makes is easy to leave for school each morning.


Make It Easier to Handle School Papers

Of all the challenges of school, handling papers seems to be at the top of most parent’s list. To solve this problem, have labeled letter trays for each member of the family. Homework, tests, and permission slips go in the parent's box for review when the child gets home from school. Dad or Mom’s box is usually the top box. He or she files obsolete paperwork and returns current paperwork to each child’s box for return to their backpacks.

Child’s goal: Put papers needing your parent’s attention in his or her box. They will return them to your box after dinner. The papers are to be retrieved and put in backpack before bedtime.

Because school is soon upon us, look at all your school morning decisions and move them to the night before whenever possible. Look at where confusion reigns and find ways to eliminate or reduce it. There are many ways to improve school morning routines. What will your goals be?

©2009 Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com