Do things tend to get crazy at your house in the mornings before school? You are not alone. Weekday mornings can become the most stressful time of the day for families. Everyone is in a rush to get ready and out the door on time. The good news is you can de-stress your school morning routine with a few simple changes to your family’s daily habits. These tips will help you tame the morning madness.
Start Getting Ready For School the Night Before.
There is a lot you can do to get ready for school the night before. I like for us to do anything we can to prepare for school the night before because every little task saves us precious time in the mornings. Plus, we don’t have to waste time running around the house trying to track down permission slips, lost shoes, library books, etc. Examples of things to do the night before school include:
- Finish homework
- Pack backpacks
- Prep lunches and snacks
- Pick out what to wear the next day
- Go to bed on time
One of the best things I have ever done to help my kids get dressed for school quickly and without any hassles is to use a hanging closet organizer. Yes, you read that right: No more hassles! I bought our closet organizers at Target.
How It Works: Hang the closet organizer. Let your child choose five complete outfits they are willing to wear to school that week. Put one outfit on each shelf of the organizer. Now your child can wake up and get dressed without the hassle of trying to figure out what they should wear. The closet organizer system helps my kids get dressed a lot faster than they used to. It’s a game-changer on school mornings.
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On the same trip to Target, we were back-to-school shopping for must haves like jeans, socks, and underwear. Target’s jeans have stretch so they are super comfy for kids. Luke is loving his stylish new Skinny Jeans.
Banish rude awakenings.
Blaring alarm clocks are the worst! Annoying alarm clock sounds put me and the kids in a bad mood from the second we wake up. Bad moods make us more likely to fuss and snap at each other. When I realized what a negative impact loud alarms were having on our morning interactions, I looked for alternative solutions like a vibrating alarm bracelet, and a light-up alarm clock (available online at Target). Maybe we are just a moody bunch of people – but finding a less stressful way to wake up helps us to wake up on the right side of the bed a lot more often on school days.
Keep a Simple Morning Routine.
Streamline your morning routine. Simple morning routines teach kids (especially the younger ones) what to expect and what they need to do every day. Before long, they will have it down. For example, our kids’ morning routine is:
- Wake up
- Get dressed
- Eat breakfast
- Brush Teeth
- Fix Hair
- Get backpack on
- Hug Mom
- Ride to school with Dad
Yes, Hug Mom really is part of our morning routine. I try to sneak in a few kisses, too! Our hug time also gives me the chance to make sure everyone is all ready to go out the door to school.
There are 180 school mornings in every school year. It may take at least a few of them to get your family into a groove that works. Don’t get discouraged. The extra effort to prep for school the night before and set a simple morning routine will pay off. Your entire family will enjoy a less stressful start to the day. And who knows, you may even begin looking forward to mornings again!
Do you have any tips for making school mornings less hectic? What is your family’s morning routine? Share your ideas with us in the comments below.
Thank you to Target for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions expressed are my own.
Sarah says
Great post! I’m usually very organized in the mornings too. One out the door at 7 and the other two at 8. It’s taken years to perfect our routine. I very much wish I would have found these kinds of blogs in the earlier years.. Life would have been so much easier!!
Sarah
http://www.allmyheartbeats.com
Nicole says
Thanks so much, Sarah! I know exactly how you feel on it taking years to get a morning routine. My eldest goes to middle school next year so we’ll have two groups leaving an hour apart in the mornings. Can’t wait to see what kind of kinks that puts in our schedules! 🙂 —Nicole
Jennifer says
This is a great post, and I’m sending it to my sister. She has actual war stories about mornings. Yeesh!
Nicole says
Thanks so much for sharing this with your sister! –Nicole
Jeanette says
I want to try this SO bad! We do have uniform tops, but they can wear whatever pants they want and finding socks…well lets just say it might be easier finding bigfoot in his room than socks!
Nicole says
I hear you on the socks. One year, we thought if we bought like 40 pairs of matching socks that would solve the problem. It didn’t!!! The kids still could not find any socks. The closet organizers work really well, especially if they keep up the habit of picking clothes out every week. It’s actually easier for the kids to put away their clean laundry into the organizers, too.
Amber Edwards says
I love the closet organizers from Target! I use them to help plan out the outfits for the week, and it really helps to take out the stress of being ready for school in the mornings.
Nicole says
They really are a huge help. And a bonus is that the organizers make it easier for my kids to put away their laundry. They usually like to just dump everything into a dresser drawer – which is not cool in my book. The organizers have worked for us better than anything else I have tried before. Glad to hear you love them too! -Nicole
Amy Desrosiers says
We also get our kid’s clothing out the night before, and set out snacks and folders. I think this helps take the stress out of things!
Nicole says
I totally agree with that strategy! Anything we get done ahead of time really does help save time and reduces stress in the mornings. Thanks for the tip!
Stacie says
Thanks for sharing these tips! The one thing that helps me in the mornings is getting up early. I hate feeling rushed.
Nicole says
I really like that idea! I tend to have better mornings if I can drag myself out of bed at least half an hour earlier than everyone else in the house. Thanks for sharing your tip!
Aubrey says
Great ideas. School mornings are always stressful. Kids out the door on time is hard.
Danielle says
I’m not to the point of sending my kids off to school yet, but I love this organization idea. With my son learning to dress himself I could definitely still use this. He can just grab his clothes and get going.
Liz Mays says
Target is always a good stop for back-to-school shopping. We used to get some clothes, lunch food, and supplies there.
Autumn @Mamachallenge says
These are great! I love the idea of a closet organizer!
Maureen says
These are wonderful tips! I try to do as much the night before as possible. It does save time and stress in the morning.
Valerie says
Wonderful tips to decrease stress in the mornings! The back-to-school routine can be really stressful for sure.
Cynthia Wright says
Great ideas! We could use these around here, for sure. Especially that closet organizer!
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says
Sticking to a routine is an immense help! Kids need that structure!
Aimee Smith says
This is a really great idea. Getting dressed is always the biggest fight our house!
Ourfamilyworld says
I prepare most of my kids’ things the night before. I like the idea of having a closet organizer. Thank for these tips!
Melissa says
Thee are great tips. Mornings are crazy here! I need to start doing stuff the night before.
Kelly Hutchinson says
We always do the bulk of our preparation the night before. I have too much going on before we leave int he morning.
Nancy @ Whispered Inspirations says
Love all of these ideas. Morning routines can be hectic i you don’t’ plan.
Brandy says
I do so much the night before to ensure the morning runs smoothly, but this is a great post because it is giving me more ideas on how to be better about mornings, especially since I will be working outside of the home more this year !
Nicole says
Hi Brandy! I am glad you got some ideas for school mornings. Good luck and have a happy school year! –Nicole
Melissa S says
We definitely have easier mornings if we get ready the night before. My son is entering the 6th grade and I imagine that planning ahead will be even more sanity saving this year.