We’ve been managing(ish) the school morning craziness for just over three weeks now and, let me tell you, the struggle is real. This is especially true for our kindergartner who sleeps like the dead and eats almost as slowly. I’ve been trying out some new things to help us all get through the morning and get my kids onto the school bus on time. Number five, in particular, has been a major time-saver. Check them out below:
- We have the kids lay out all of their clothes before bed each night, shoes too! They waste a lot of time deciding on shoes and then, of course, searching for those shoes that they just have to wear.
- We put the kids resource schedule on the fridge. Maybe by mid-year I’ll remember who has library and PE on which days, but not today. Until then, this visual will remind me who needs tennis shoes, books, etc. each day.
- The kids and I worked together to create the responsibilities chart below. They earn one star in the morning and one in the afternoon if they complete all of their morning and afternoon responsibilities. They can use these stars to earn rewards. Two stars will get them a lot less than twenty stars, but they will have the choice between instant gratification or saving to earn something larger. They only earn the stars when I don’t have to remind them of what they need to do.
- My kids choose and pack their school snacks when they get home from school each day. They get off the bus ravenous so, while they’re picking out a snack to eat at home, I have them choose another one for school the next day and pack it in their bags.
- I created a simple poster where the kids can pick their breakfast and lunch choices the night before. I know this sounds a bit like I’m running a restaurant, but we wasted so much time every morning asking the kids what they wanted for breakfast and in their lunches. When you only have 45 minutes to get everything done in the morning, every minute you save is a big deal. My kindergartner isn’t reading yet, so I also drew pictures of about five different choices for each meal. Before we go up to bed each night, the kids make their choices by adding their initials in pencil next to the items they’d like. This is one of their daily responsibilities. This has been a game-changer!! My husband or I can get up a few minutes before the kids to get meals made, and we don’t have to listen to tantrums about how we didn’t make what they wanted. There is a lot less yelling in our house these days.
These tips give my kids the power of choice, but the choices are all things that my husband and I can live with because we were the ones that set them up. I like that my kids are learning to be more responsible through this and to see that their actions have consequences.
Good luck with the morning hustle! As the school year goes on, it does get better. Until it does, keep on keeping on, my exhausted friends!
♥ Erin
