Most families with kids in tow have rather dramatic mornings because of all the emotions and unique personalities on the table. Heck, even having one school-age kid to get ready in the morning sows chaos to the home
With four kids now, I can tell you how painstakingly hard it is from the moment I wake up till they get out of the front door. Years have thought me some valuable and practical stuff that I partly got from other parents. Indeed, what’s good is that a little planning and a different perspective on this could go a long way.
So yeah, there is hope for you yet! Check out these quick and easy ways to make your mornings always flow as smooth as possible.
Get up before your kids. This is an obvious tip, but one that is overlooked by some parents. Getting up 15-30 minutes before your kids make a world of difference. Do some stretching, have your coffee, read a book – things that will make you alert. This way, you’ll be much more prepared and active getting everyone else ready. Plus, it’s a good example for your kids in the future.
Prepare the night before. Do yourself a favor and get things ready the night before. Get the kids to ready their backpacks, locate those pens and books and have them place all by the door. Or take it a notch higher by storing clothes for the entire week!
Keep tasks organized by using multiple alarms. This is tedious in the beginning but can become a fun challenge in the end. More than just a wake-up call, you can use alarms for a “eat your cereal,” “bus in 5 minutes,” etc. You can make it their voices too, which they’ll surely love.
Utilize visuals. You can also help them get ready by providing them with visual cues. Most kids are visual learners and they may do better when they can see what they must do. You can also create routine cards to achieve the same goal!
Create make-ahead lunch. Making the sandwich in the morning takes a lot of time – so make a bulk and store them in the freezer. You can then go ahead and add directly to their lunchboxes in the morning and it’ll be ready by lunchtime. Also try creating convenient single-serving sides that can stay fresh all week long – I’m talking about Ziplocs. This works well with cheese cubes, carrots, grapes, celery sticks, orange segments, berries, and other fruits. It also works with crackers, chips, popcorns, crackers, etc.
Do a final check at the door. You might think that you’ve done everything to make sure that it’s smooth sailing once your kid goes out the door, but the fact remains that it’s very easy to overlook stuff that gets left behind. To ensure that everything’s settled, wait until they have all things on and then go through a checklist, which you can pin to the front door. This way you can eliminate lonely lunches left on the floor or forgotten homework!
When the issue is out of the table
In some cases, the issue goes beyond the home. Your child might not be well-suited to his current school if he is experiencing extended periods of boredom or feeling of insufficiency in his classes or perhaps the campus isn’t well-designed for extracurricular studies. The type of school you send your child in also plays a huge factor in his level of excitement, engagement, and eventual attitude beyond the classroom.
This is especially true for expats. If you’re keen on pursuing a similar environment from your original country or looking for a curriculum that will set your kids priorities and get him in the right path, consider the international curricula offered by international schools like Global Indian International School (GIIS).
The IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) for children aged 5 – 12 (Grade 1-5) for instance nurtures and develops young students as caring, active participants in a lifelong journey of learning. Through its inquiry-led, transdisciplinary framework, the PYP challenges students to think for themselves and take responsibility for their learning as they explore local and global issues and opportunities in real-life contexts.
There you go! Now you can start preparing and making the mornings better. You can do it, my super-parent comrades. How about you, what other tips do you know about getting your kids going in the morning? Share it with us!
