50.8 MILLION kids go to public school each year, and those are a lot of kids and a lot of hustle and bustle in the morning.
Sometimes your kids do not want to get up, do not want to go, or even want to fake being sick all while you are trying to prepare for work.
Sheesh seems stressful, right? Yeah, I would know. I have three kids myself and want at least one more, haha.
The consequences of not having the time or preparing for work could be you become irritated with your child, starting you and the kids’ day off badly. You both could be getting to destinations late. Or yall have a huge fight and make the whole day terrible?
Five tips have helped me save time in the morning and made my life 2-3x better. With these tips, your life will get better.
Let’s get started
Set out all school items the night before
One thing to do for your child is to get them in the habit of putting their things together the night before. Being prepared the night before will save you sooooo much time if you do nothing else on this list. You will save a lot of time by just doing this one thing.
Ensuring your child has all their school supplies, uniforms, and lunches ready to go before they go to bed. In particular, they have a designated place to put their backpack and shoes. Which is easy to lose in the hustle and bustle of getting out of school, getting dinner ready, etc.
Having everything out the night before in a different spot for those two items, at least, will have you moving quicker. This will also help you avoid losing items, and you won’t have to ask where your backpack is. Where are your shoes? Where are your socks? etc.
It’s just easier to keep up with, especially if you all put their clothes out the night before, so that way, you are cutting down on the number of decisions you have to make that morning.
Fewer decisions to make, and the easier your day is, the happier you will be.
Wake up early
I know everybody has heard the early bird gets the worm.
Well, in this case, it is true. Waking up earlier gives you and your child extra time in the morning to get dressed, brush their teeth and wash their face, etc. In return, giving you more time to prepare.
As you can see, waking the kids earlier can establish a consistent routine to improve their overall sleep quality and help them feel more alert and focused during the day. Also, starting school early can help your child relax and have a breather before school or to get a jump on the day.
Also, you can make time for delays meaning you can leave early in case of accidents. If you have to turn around, get something, catch a flat, etc. Enough time will help you prepare for life unexpectedly, so you can still have a productive day.
So start by getting them to bed on time and waking them up early once a week to see how it improves their life.
Get Your Children Involved
I know what you think: “Getting the kids involved will make it longer for me to get ready.” This is how to help them get involved without necessarily slowing down your day.
You can involve them in your planning; for instance, you can let the kids help you choose their school supplies, backpack, lunchbox, and what they want for lunch. Doing this gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Another way to get your kids involved is to make it as fun as possible. Like having a back-to-school shopping trip or having a particular breakfast made every Monday because we all know how hard Monday can be.
Getting your child involved can help them be more excited about school.
Have a routine
Giving your kids a set schedule and routine for getting your kids ready for school can start each day as smoothly as possible. Because you are on schedule and have a routine that will save time.
To do this, you can prepare meals, snacks, and backpacks the night before. Doing this will save time in the morning when you’re getting them ready for school and while you are getting ready for work.
Have a quick morning checklist.
Having a checklist can help ensure you remember everything and complete all tasks before leaving for school. Furthermore, having a checklist can help kids with other areas of their life.
Encouraging good habits and having a morning routine with a checklist can and will establish good practices with your child, such as packing lunch or completing a short homework assignment.
A morning checklist can improve punctuality and a constant morning routine, and a list improves timeliness, helping kids arrive at school on time and ready to learn.
When you and the kids have a checklist, overall reduces stress, and having a set routine and list reduces stress and morning chaos for you and your child.
Finally, having a morning checklist helps promotes independence for kids, and a morning checklist helps kids learn to manage their own time and responsibilities, which in turn will help promote independence.
Lets Recap
- Set out all school items the night before.
- Wake up early.
- Get Your Children Involved
- Have a routine.
- Have a quick morning checklist.
Using these tips will help you establish a better school routine. If these tips helped you in any way, sign up for my newsletter.
I send out tips and tricks about fitness, fatherhood, and finance weekly.