Morning Routine for School: 6 Ways to Make Mornings Stress-Free

Having a morning routine for school can help your family start the year off right. When everyone in the family knows what they need to do and how much time they have to do it, the mornings will go a lot smoother.

Below is a list of six things to think about as you set up your morning routine for school.

1. Get enough sleep.
   

   Sleep is probably the most important part of a morning routine. With proper sleep, everyone in the family will be able to wake up when they need to, ready for the day. To figure out when you and your kids should go to bed, see how many hours of sleep everyone should get. Then figure out how long it usually takes to get everyone ready in the morning and out the door. Now, count back from when you need to leave your house in the morning.

   For example, if you need to leave the house at 8 a.m. and it takes an hour to get ready in the morning, then you should be up by 7 a.m. If ten hours of sleep is recommended, then you should be asleep by 10 p.m. If it takes half an hour to get ready for bed and usually takes you 15 minutes to fall asleep, then you should start getting ready for bed at 9:15 p.m.

   Depending on how much new bedtimes vary from current bedtimes, it may take a bit to get everyone asleep at their new bedtime. That’s okay. Take it slowly and start adjusting bedtimes by 15-minute increments each night or every few nights until you get to the desired time. It will be well worth your effort when everyone is getting the sleep they need. Mornings will be much easier, and everyone will have the energy needed for their day!

2. Prep lunch early.

   Lunches are probably the most time-consuming thing in the morning, at least for my family. When my oldest switched schools to one that served lunches, she stopped packing one each morning. This decreased her morning-routine time drastically. Instead of getting up to pack her lunch, she got some extra sleep and rolled out of bed with just enough time to get herself ready and grab a bite to eat.

   When packing lunches, a number of things need to be prepared that morning, but there are usually some things that can be packed the night before. Get these ready before going to bed. If everything needs to be made in the morning, at least decide what will go into the lunch the night before, so you don’t waste time trying to figure it out in the morning.

   Depending on the age of your kids, you can even have them make their own lunch or at least help. The more hands, the quicker something is done (usually—if you have young kids, you know what I mean).

3. Eat a balanced breakfast.

   Breakfast sets everyone up to have the energy needed for the day. One filled with protein instead of sugar will keep energy levels stable instead of crashing mid-morning. Make sure your kids know if they need to make their own breakfast or if you’ll be doing that for them.

   If you have a slow cooker, you can set it up the night before to make oatmeal or something else so you can wake to a nice, warm breakfast. Eating in the morning is important. You don’t want to have to skip breakfast because you just don’t have time.

   For those mornings that don’t go as planned, make sure to have apples, some energy or protein bars, or some other eat-on-the-go food so everyone can eat on the way to school, if need be. It’s definitely better to have a nice sit-down meal, but eating on the go would be preferable to skipping it altogether, in my opinion.

4. Choose clothes the night before.
   

   If your child takes a while to figure out what they’re going to wear, have them decide the night before. If they say they won’t know what they’ll feel like wearing the next day, then challenge them to pick out two or three outfits at the most and pick from those in the morning. Anything that can help reduce decisions in the morning can help make mornings go more smoothly and take less time.

5. Pack up the back pack.

   Once homework is done, have your child pack things up and place them near the door, so they are ready to grab the next morning. When things are organized and your kids know where they are, you’ll avoid a frantic search when everyone is supposed to be heading out the door. This is especially true when something extra is needed for an after-school activity or a project is due.

6. Consult the family schedule.

   Have a calendar or whiteboard in a visible place in the house where everyone can see it. Put down activities and appointments that everyone needs to be aware of and look at the calendar the evening before. Dinner time is a great time to do this and go over it with everyone in the family during a quick family meeting.

   Our family calendar is within view of our table, so I can see it during dinner and remind everyone, including myself, what the next day includes. That way, if extra things need to be gathered or packed, it can be done the night before, and everyone will have what they need for the next day and know what to expect.

   To make your morning routine for school run as smoothly as possible, make a rough schedule and list when everyone should be waking up, getting ready, eating breakfast, making lunches, and leaving. If your child knows they should be eating breakfast at 7:30 and it’s 7:25, they’ll know they only have five more minutes to finish what they’re doing. Having these various time checks throughout the morning will help keep everyone on track.

With preparation the night before, when everyone knows what to expect for the next day, and with a good night’s sleep, your mornings will go much smoother thanks to a morning routine for school.