The morning is…well, a hectic time. You have to wake your kiddo up, make sure they’re dressed, get breakfast on the table, pack school lunches and still somehow manage to get yourself ready for your day too. If you’re lucky, everything goes completely smooth. But that doesn’t happen 100% of the time. What can you do to help your child make the most of their morning routine — and get ready in a smiley, sunny way?
Check out these simple ways to turn your child’s early in the morning frown upside down. Oh, and they’ll also help to up the efficiency factor of your family’s routine.
What does tomorrow have in store? No one knows. But your child can predict how their day will go by saying one thing they’re excited about. Have your child think about what they can’t wait to do or experience the next day. This might be a book they want to read at school, the outfit they plan on wearing, a yummy breakfast pick or anything else. When your kiddo wakes up they’ll be ready and excited for the new day!
Make a daily sticker chart that maps out everything your child has to do. Start with the morning routine, including getting out of bed, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, getting into the car to go to school, and anything else that your child regularly does. Your child can add a sticker to the chart for each item they check-off.
What’s your child wearing tomorrow? No parent wants to spend an hour helping their little one pick out the perfect purple tights that go with the princess pink tutu at 7 a.m. Instead of waiting until the day of, put together a few favorite outfits the night before. Take photos of each choice to show your child in the morning. Now your mini fashionista can choose from the fun photos, without any fuss.
It would be nice if every child gleefully hopped out of bed with a smile on their face. But that doesn’t always happen. How can you help your child feel better in the morning? Create a sweet song to sing together. Make a morning routine tune that includes each step of the process. As your child goes from getting dressed, to eating breakfast to everything in between, they can smile and sing while doing it.
Turn your morning routine into a family game. Set a timer and see who can get each part of the process done the quickest. Make sure that your child knows the race doesn’t mean to rush or to not do each step correctly. You don’t want your child to leave for preschool wearing only one shoe or find out that they only brushed their teeth for 30 seconds. Set a rule that the winner must have the fastest time and have everything done correctly.
Stage a mock morning routine and photograph every step of the way. Take pictures of your child getting out of bed, dressed in school clothes, eating breakfast, brushing their teeth, putting their shoes on and getting into the car. Now that you have a visual timeline of the morning, put it into a photo book. Look through the book at night to review what the morning has to hold or page through it in the a.m. as a step by step guide.
Your child is like your little shadow. Use this to your advantage and have them play a game of follow the leader. When you brush your teeth, so does your child. Do you need to put on your shoes? Your child has to follow too.
With these helpful tips, everyone in your family is bound to have a positive and seamless start to the day!