Mornings can be hectic with elementary school age kids in the house. Setting up a routine together can make mornings less stressful for you and your kids. Here are some tips I used with my elementary school age kids to make school mornings run smooth while setting up a routine for my kids and me.
Back to School Routines: School Clothes
School uniforms make picking out clothes easy. The only decision is which of the three shirt colors they wanted to wear the next day. I made three piles of clothes on top of the dresser with pants, shirts, socks and shoes in a neat pile. Set backpacks on the floor in front of the dresser. Once they’re dressed, they grab their backpacks to go eat breakfast.
Back to School Routines: Snacks for Snack Time
They ate lunch in school, but needed to take a snack. The night before they would choose the snack. Young kids like to make decisions, it makes them feel grown up. Limit choices or you’ll be waiting until morning while they make up their mind.
I gave them a choice of three healthy foods. If they picked grapes, they would put the grapes in a ziploc bag, I’d seal it and write their name on it. For crackers, they would put them in their backpack in one of the front zippers to get to easily.
Back to School Routines: Getting Up
If you have a child who doesn’t wake up easily, set the alarm clock 15 minutes to half an hour earlier. The extra time equals less stress in the morning. It also gives your little ones time to wake up without having to rush around to get ready for school.
Back to School Routines: Breakfast
You want to give them a good breakfast to start the school day right. I set up breakfast the night before at the same time they decided on snacks. Most of the time it was cereal, but occasionally pop tarts were tossed in.
I gave the cereal boxes to one kid, bowls to another and spoons to the last one. The bowls were set in front of the chairs of the ones eating cereal, and the spoon was laid beside the bowl. If pop tarts were on the menu, they put a paper towel in their spot with the pop tart package on it ready to be opened and eaten in the morning.
Back to School Routines: Coming Home
In the afternoons when they came home from school, the routine continued. They told me about their day in school while they got a snack and relaxed. As soon as dinner was over, they sat down to do their homework. Get in some playtime, then baths, story time and off to sleep. They were ready to get up for school the next morning.
With these simple back to school routine ideas, you can stop the morning madness, get rid of the stress, and everyone can start school days in a good mood.
