1. Establish a morning routine for the daily tasks. Activities that children engage in daily should have a set sequence, for eg. Brush teeth, wash face, comb hair, get dressed, eat breakfast, pack knapsack.
2. Prepare the night before for the morning. Certain tasks like filling water bottles, laying out the school clothes, setting out the breakfast table, preparing the school lunches and getting the sports gear ready can easily be done the night before to save time in the morning.
3. Set up a calendar with special reminders for each child. If you have more than one child in the house it can get a bit daunting trying to remember who has got what for the day. Set up a calendar that lists all the special events and what needs to be taken to school that day like library bags, sports gear, Homework.
4. Have a dedicated shelf for school essentials. The block shelves are great to set up as a “School Corner” for schoolbags, lunch bags, school books, school shoes, sports gear etc. – saves time to retrieve as you know where to find stuff.
5. Avoid distractions like having the television on. Watching TV while trying to get ready is bound to upset the schedule and get everyone late. Switch off the TV and if the kids are ready and have some time to spare, they could watch TV as a treat.
6. Be calm, optimistic and try to have a positive outlook. Children usually mirror the parent’s behaviour – if the parent is frazzled, the children tend to play up. Try to use a calm voice to instruct the kids what to do even if things are getting a bit chaotic.
7. Reward positive behaviour and ignore negative behaviour. When you catch your child doing something positive to get organised, praise the appropriate behaviour. On the other hand, when your child is engaged in destructive behaviour like yelling, bullying or dragging their feet try not to give attention to that negative behaviour
8. Set up a Reward Chart for being organised on time. For little children, a sticker chart can be a great incentive if they are rewarded for getting organised.
9.Choose the correct time to discuss inappropriate behaviour. If a child is being deliberately unco-operative, you cannot hope to save the situation by trying to discipline the child then especially if you are frazzled. An appropriate time to discuss the unfitting behaviour of the past morning would be at the end of the day when the child is in a calm state.
10. Ensure that everyone has had a good night’s sleep. If everyone has had the required amount of sleep, everyone would be rested and there’s a greater chance of getting through the morning’s activities without any drama. So, if we make the effort to put in place some routines for the night before and the morning, it would ensure a smoother and stress free morning. It is important that parents continue to reinforce these routines for it to work.
