Helping kids get ready for school quicker in the morning (stress free) (2024)

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Did you ever notice how long it takes everyone to get ready when you have to be somewhere? Are you always running late? The hard part for me is that when we are rushing, someone ends up feeling stressed, which leads to tempers, arguments, and an unhappy family. The last thing that I want to do is to send our kids to school feeling unnerved.

So, we have found that just atips forHelping kids get ready for school quicker in the morning is all that it takes to have a better morning.

1). Get breakfast ready at night.
Lay out the cereal, oatmeal or whatever your kids will be eating the night before.
If my kids are going to eat pancakes (their favorite), I will make them the night before. I put them in an air-tight container in the fridge & have it ready for the morning. All that we have to do is put it on their plate. I lay out their silverware and cups the night before, too. Easy.

Ps- these protein pancakes are perfect!

2). Lay out their clothes the night before.
This includes everything that they will need: underwear, socks, pants, shirt, belt, shoes… If they can get dressed by themselves (over 3 years old, I’d say), tell them to get dressed before they come downstairs (or out of their rooms).

3). Have their toothbrush baskets ready for them.
We have a wicker basket that has everything they need for the morning.
In our basket, we havetoothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, a comb, hair gel & floss. I keep our basket under our bathroom sink.

When getting the kids ready for school, it’s all about keeping things moving. As soon as they finish breakfast, they go to the bathroom to wash their hands and get their basket out. I don’t have to run around looking for everything- it is all right there waiting for us.

4). Have backpacks ready (& lunches) the night before.
We keep their backpacks on our organizing bench on their designated hook.

5). Pack lunches ONCE for the week and then have them ready each night. In the mornings, the kids grab their lunch box out of the refrigerator and put them into their backpacks.

6).Keep their chores to a minimum in the mornings.
On school mornings, all that they have to do is put their pajamas away, make their beds (we have zip-up bedding) and clean up after themselves (put the toothbrush basket back, clean up dishes, etc…) Then they do their chore from the chore basketafter school.

7).Eliminate all media in the mornings.
If we turn the TV on, we are just setting ourselves up for failure (it might be different in your house, but our kids just stop what they are doing to watch TV when it is on.) However… towards the end of the year, I sometimes startletting them watch TV if they were ready. When shoes are on, teeth are brushed and backpacks and coats have been moved to the front door. If and only if those things are ready, they can watch TV until we have to leave. 🙂

8. And a big tip…. Get up ten minutes before they do to get yourself ready. 🙂
This is the hardest one for me! I use my TCL Pulse (it is a Bluetooth alarm but it comes with a little box that you slip into your pillow case and it will vibrate when your phone app alarm goes off, so it only wakes you and no one else). If I can get ready, have a little coffee and be downstairs ready when the kids wake up, it is better for everyone. I always want to be the smiling face that they see every morning, welcoming them to a brand new day. It just puts all of them in a good mood. 🙂
(Ps- it works on church mornings or anywhere that you have to go somewhere special, too!)

Can I help?
If you would like some ideas for one-on-one time with your kids, you are welcome to Sign up for my e-mail FREE course to spend more time with your kids. I’ll send you this calendar for free. 🙂

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