The morning rush in a household with young children can often feel like a chaotic whirlwind. From waking up groggy-eyed youngsters to ensuring everyone is dressed, fed and ready for work and school, the challenge of getting the whole family out the front door and kids to school on time can seem insurmountable.
While nurseries are flexible when it comes to children’s arrival time in the mornings, schools are not. They have strict attendance policies that are affected when children arrive late enough to miss the register and they consider regular latecomers to be a real issue. It’s can be very stressful for children who regularly arrive late to school, and it also adds up to a loss of learning time:
5 minutes late every day = 3.4 days of learning lost every year
10 minutes late every day = 6.9 days of learning lost every year
15 mins late every day = 10.3 days of learning lost every year
20 mins late every day = 13.8 days of learning lost every year
30 mins late every day = 20.7 days of learning lost every day
Teachers will often have an activity up on the board or out on pupils’ desks ready for children to start working on as soon as they enter the classroom in the mornings, which your child will miss out on if they are late. The other simple fact is that being regularly late to school doesn’t help to set high standards and expectations for your child as they progress through school.
With a few strategic adjustments to your routine, achieving smooth and timely school mornings is not only possible but can set a positive tone for the rest of the day and a more positive mindset in general for the whole family.
In this blog post, I’ll explore the importance of enough sleep, the significance of a good morning routine, and practical tips for getting young kids to school on time. This will help make mornings easier and less miserable for everyone. Being on time (or even early) at the school gates will make a huge difference to your lives. I promise!
1. Enough Sleep: The Foundation for a Successful Morning
It all begins the night before. The key to smooth school mornings lies in ensuring that every member of the family gets enough sleep (especially the kids). The National Sleep Foundation recommends specific amounts of sleep for different age groups, emphasising the importance of a good night’s sleep for overall health and well-being:
For younger children, a set bedtime routine is crucial. Establishing a consistent bedtime and sticking to it helps regulate their internal clocks and promotes a good night’s sleep. This routine might include activities like having a bath, reading a bedtime story, dimming the lights, and gradually winding down to signal to the child that it’s time to sleep. Older children may benefit from a more flexible routine that allows them to unwind in their own way but this should still be within a set timeframe.
2. Wake-Up Time: Setting the Stage for a Successful Day
Once everyone has gone to bed nice an early (ideally including the adults), the next morning, everyone’s wake-up time becomes pivotal. Determine the ideal time for your child to rise, allowing enough time for a calm and organised morning routine. Waking up with enough time to spare reduces stress and sets a positive tone for the day ahead. I would highly recommend that the adults in the house wake up (and ideally get up) at least half an hour before the children do. Not only does this put parents in a better frame of mind to deal with grumpy children who don’t want to get up and get ready, but it also allows couples some much-needed quiet time together before another busy day with the kids begins.
While the weekend can be a time for lying in, establishing a set wake-up time for adults and children which is strictly adhered to during the week is essential. While older kids may be more self-sufficient in waking up on their own, younger children may need gentle reminders and the assistance of a parent. Colour-changing grow clocks are an excellent tool for signalling to younger children when they need to wake up, and introducing the concept of an alarm clock can be a useful way to encourage self-management and responsibility on school mornings as children grow older.
The morning routine really is the linchpin of a well-organised start to the day. It should encompass a series of activities that the whole family follows consistently. The routine should begin first thing in the morning and continue until the front door is closed behind the last family member. A good morning routine involves small steps towards helping children become more independent in the mornings, that gradually lead to larger milestones. Start with simple tasks like getting them to make their bed and tidy their clothes off the floor, and progress to more complex activities like preparing their own breakfast. Encourage self-sufficiency from an early age, so that as they grow older, the kids can take charge of their own morning responsibilities. Not only is this independence important for children to learn, it also helps take the pressure off parents as they don’t have to do everything for their kids as well as getting themselves ready in the morning.
3. The Importance of Breakfast: Fuel for a Productive Day
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this adage is especially true on school mornings. A nutritious breakfast provides the necessary fuel for a child’s day and also sets the tone for healthier eating habits. Encourage your child to have a well-balanced breakfast, including a mix of proteins, whole grains, and fruits. It may take a while to find something healthy and nutritious that they’ll eat without complaint, but it’s worth persevering with this rather than caving and letting them have their favourite sugary breakfast cereal every morning.
If your child is old enough to eat breakfast by themselves or with a sibling, use this time to double-check your child’s equipment list for the day and to finish getting yourself ready. Regularly eating together as a family is important, but school mornings are not the time for this. Save leisurely family breakfasts for weekends and holidays and make the most of the extra time while they’re busy eating.
4. Clothes, Shoes and Packed Lunches
Prepare school clothes the night before to save time in the morning rush. Having clothes decided on and ready to go in a place where your child knows where to find them eliminates last-minute wardrobe decisions and ensures everyone is dressed appropriately, and quickly, for the day ahead.
Ensuring that school clothes/uniforms are washed, dried and put away in children’s bedrooms before Monday morning is an essential part of ensuring smooth school mornings. Rushing around at the last minute to try and find a clean cardigan or a lost jumper is a surefire way to a stressful morning. Children should have a designated place near the front door where they always keep their school shoes, and should be encouraged to put them back there as soon as they take them off again.
Do you make your kids a packed lunch each day? Preparing packed lunches is time-consuming, and I cannot stress the importance of preparing them for your kids the night before. This small change can save a huge amount of time in the morning rush and contribute to a more relaxed start to the day. Try to encourage older kids to take charge of packing their own lunch, fostering a sense of responsibility (more on this in the next section).
5. Install a Wipe-Clean Board
As children progress through primary school and start to do different clubs and activities, there will be an ever-growing list of equipment they need which will be different each day. Consider putting up a large wipe clean board somewhere in a central location in your house which lists everything that is needed each day of the week (we have a big one screwed onto the back of the cupboard door in the kitchen/dining area). Weekend clubs and activities and any equipment needed for those can be added to the board too, so that all you need to do is quickly glance at it each morning (or even the night before). A board like this can also help remind you of different pick-up times, childcare arrangements and other important details, ensuring that each day runs smoothly.
Ideally, children should be encouraged from a young age to take responsibility for their own school clothes, shoes and equipment. Ask them to check the board for you in the mornings as soon as they get up. Children generally like routine and organisation. You may find they enjoy writing activities and equipment lists on the board themselves, reading it out each morning and getting themselves organised for the day once it has become part of the routine. Just make sure to get a board that is large enough to easily fit everything on it, and consider using a different coloured pen for each child.
6. Screen Time and Bedtime Routine: Building Healthy Habits
The influence of TV and other screen time on a child’s sleep cannot be overstated. Limiting exposure to electronic devices before bedtime contributes to better sleep quality. Establish a rule of no screens at least an hour before bedtime (even longer if possible) to help children wind down naturally.
Talk to your children about the importance of them getting to bed early so they can get to school on time in the morning. Talk with them about how it makes them feel when they’re late, and how much better they feel when they arrive for things in good time. Get your child on board with the idea that’s it beneficial for everyone to have a calm, unflustered start to each day and explain to them that screen time affects their ability to go to sleep at night.
Encourage them to brush their teeth, choose their clothes for the next day, and engage in calming activities before bedtime. As well as leading to easier mornings, a calming and consistent bedtime routine can have a highly positive impact on a child’s mental health, promoting a sense of security and routine.
7. The Power of Visual Reminders: Small Changes for Big Impact
You could try introducing visual reminders to help younger children understand the sequence of tasks in the morning routine. Even before they can read, you can use pictures or a visual chart to illustrate the steps, making it easier for them to follow along. This not only fosters independence from a young age but also makes the routine more enjoyable for the child.
For older kids, it isn’t always to encourage them to take ownership of their morning responsibilities. Giving them a physical checklist (perhaps a wipe-clean one) can be a great way for them to track their progress in the mornings and ensure they haven’t missed any important steps. This simple tool promotes accountability, helps develop good habits, and can be carried on and adapted even into the teenage years.
8. Time Management: The Key to Easier Mornings
In the hustle and bustle of school mornings, time management is essential. Allocating enough time for each activity in the morning routine ensures a smoother process. Consider waking up earlier (including the kids if need be) or getting shoes and coats on earlier to allow for unexpected delays or last-minute adjustments.
My seven-year-old daughter has been much more challenging than usual this term, and last-minute meltdowns as we’ve been leaving the house have meant we have regularly been late for school.
A couple of weeks ago I decided to start getting their teeth brushed, shoes on and coats on at 8 am (8.10 at the absolute latest) so we could reliably leave the house at 8.30 am or earlier, allowing for the predictable last-minute meltdown. I have been surprised to learn that in fact, yes, it really can take a full half hour to complete these seemingly simple tasks with two young children, and also how much calmer I am at dealing with my daughter’s meltdowns when I know I have so much time. The sense of panic that would set in when she started playing up when we had to leave right now or be late, was horrible. It was inevitably the time of day I would be most likely to lose my temper with her. The difference to my life just starting to get them ready 15-20 minutes earlier, has been immense.
I don’t really like the fact that I am constantly clock-watching since having kids, but unfortunately, it’s the only eay to get everyone out the door and where they need to be on time.
9. Natural Consequences and Positive Reinforcement
As children grow older, teach the concept of natural consequences. If they consistently miss the bus due to a lack of time management, they may have to deal with the repercussions of arriving late to school. While it’s important to provide guidance, allowing natural consequences can be an effective way for kids to learn the value of time and responsibility.
On the flip side, just as with younger children, positive reinforcement goes a long way in motivating older kids too. Praise them for successful mornings and completing tasks independently. Getting out the door and to school on time every day isn’t easy, so encouragement when they do manage it can make a huge difference in building their confidence and establishing good habits.
Conclusion
Mastering the morning rush with young children requires a combination of strategic planning, consistent routines, iron will and a positive mindset. Implementing small changes in the bedtime and morning routines, encouraging self-sufficiency in older kids, and emphasising the importance of enough sleep are all steps in the right direction. By making these adjustments, you not only ensure that your children get to school on time but also instil important life skills that will serve them well in the future. With a bit of effort and the implementation of these best tips, you can transform chaotic school mornings into a calm and enjoyable start to the day for the whole family, setting the stage for a good day and a successful school year (and work year) ahead.
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