As soon as the school season begins, mornings become busier and more intense. You need to do it all: have a quick breakfast, get dressed, find the right shoes, pack lunch boxes for the kids. Ideally, you should leave the house on time to avoid being late. It feels like chaos that repeats every day. However, the school morning routine can actually be easier, even positive. The key is not to lose a cheerful mood in the chaos of the first days—and how to set up a morning routine before school that works for the whole family—we’ll figure it out now.
Starting on the Right Note: Why Do You Need a Structured School Morning Routine?
It’s something both parents and kids need equally.
For parents, a school morning routine gives:
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A step-by-step algorithm of what to do and when. Your brain isn’t fully awake yet, but even on autopilot, you won’t forget important things.
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Less stress, since every action is predictable and tasks repeat daily.
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Less rushing, because you already know how much time each action takes.
For children, there are also benefits:
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A predictable kids morning routine helps them feel safe and reduces stress.
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Kids know what’s expected of them and learn to responsibly handle their tasks: brushing teeth, making the bed, getting dressed, and having breakfast.
In short, a well-planned everyday morning routine for school makes life easier for the entire family.
School Morning Routine Checklist
At the start of the school season, make and write down a school morning routine checklist – or even better, create a chart that can be printed and hung on the wall or on the kitchen fridge. One version for parents and another one for the child. With such a visual schedule, every family member will know what to do at each specific moment without constant reminders.
For parents, the morning checklist can vary depending on factors such as whether there are additional morning tasks, the presence of other children besides the schoolchild, and the time they need to leave for work, among others.
Here’s an example of a child’s morning checklist:
- Wake up, stretch, smile
- Brush teeth, wash face
- Do a quick morning exercise
- Make the bed
- Eat a tasty, healthy breakfast
- Pack (or take the one prepared by parents) lunch box
- Take a water bottle
- Get dressed for school
- Put on shoes, jacket, take a backpack, don’t forget the lunch box
This example is only a guide. You can adapt it according to how mornings usually go in your family. For example, a girl morning routine for school might also include braiding hair. If classes start in the afternoon, then mornings can be used for extracurricular activities, homework, or creative projects.
Tips & Tricks: How to Make the Kids Morning Routine Easier and More Fun
Even such boring things as the school morning routine can be made more enjoyable and pleasant. A few simple rules can help:
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Prepare as much as possible the night before. Teach your schoolchild to pack books and notebooks into the backpack in the evening, lay out the clothes they’ll wear to school tomorrow, and put clean gym clothes in a separate bag.
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Clean shoes in advance and place them by the front door so that in the morning, the only task left is to put them on quickly.
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Create a playlist that you play every morning. It’s convenient when this playlist is always the same, and each song serves as a signal: now it’s time for breakfast, now it’s time to get dressed, and so on.
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Think of a pleasant morning ritual: wishing each other a good day, giving hugs, or saying goodbye with a personal, funny handshake.
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Try to have breakfast together, discussing what will happen today, the plans for the day, and what nice things await in the evening. Let the morning be brightened with positive expectations.
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Allow chaotic mornings to exist. They will happen anyway. Sometimes your child will suddenly remember in the morning that they urgently need colored paper, or completely forget to mention they must bring homemade cookies for a school charity fair. Let it be. Stay calm – it’s easier if you’re mentally prepared for things not going as planned. And that’s okay.
To Leave the House on Time…
The topic of kids morning routine on Reddit is filled with replies like: “Thanks a lot, but... We’re always late anyway.” That’s one of the surprises school season brings: the school morning routine constantly needs adjusting. Commute times change as traffic gets heavier, and bad weather makes the journey longer. Depending on the season, dressing and packing can also take more time.
What helps is knowing exactly how long each task takes: how long your child needs for breakfast, to get dressed, to do a quick workout, and so on. Then, mark specific time slots in the daily schedule for each activity. For example: making the bed from 7:30 to 7:35, and so on. The most important thing – add a 5-minute buffer for unexpected circumstances. In other words, shift everything 5 minutes earlier so that if something goes wrong, you still have a little extra time and can manage to leave on time.
Final Thoughts
The school morning routine doesn’t have to be perfect or exactly as described above – it should be designed to fit your family’s needs. But even if you take just a few of these tips on board, your mornings will become much smoother, and you’ll be more likely to leave the house on time and in a good mood!
