Every parent dreams of a calm and stress-free morning routine, but some days it can feel like a distant reality when the morning is filled with tears, tantrums, and the pressure of trying to get out the door on time. Mornings, before work and school, are often the busiest and most chaotic for everyone in the family. Not only do you have your kids to think about, but you also have yourself and make sure you’re ready for the day to consider too. It can be easy for parents to run with the mayhem that school mornings bring, because they think anything different is completely out of reach.
The good news is, finding and sticking to a calm and somewhat structured morning routine is entirely possible. It’s going to take time, of course, but the outcome at the end is better for everyone. Creating a better morning routine for you and your family isn’t about looking for quality time or strictly enforcing rules that your kids will only want to fight against. Instead, it’s about finding routine – and finding it slowly so that your kids don’t feel controlled. Here’s how to create a calm morning routine for your family.
Plan Ahead The Night Before
Even if you give yourself extra time in the mornings, you never know what could crop up and delay you from leaving the house. Mornings can be unpredictable, especially with kids, which is why organising yourself the night before can give you more time for unexpected issues that, let’s face it, are inevitably going to happen. It could take you hours to complete all of your morning tasks in the evening, and who actually has that much time after a long day at work? But there are simple tasks you can get done in the evening, and they won’t take up too much time. An easy one to incorporate into your normal evening routine is making lunches at the same time as your evening meal. If you can make a large portion and serve enough for lunch and dinner, then even better, but organising your kids’ lunchbox while you wait for dinner to cook is just as good for saving time.
Simplify Your Own Morning Routine and Start It Early
It’s no secret that when you start a family, you forget about your own morning routine to prioritise your kids. But for parents who have already returned to work, finding sufficient time for their own morning routines is still very important. The easiest way to attend to your own routine without being disturbed is to start it as early as possible in the morning – preferably while your children are still asleep. Particularly with newborns and young children, though, it can be difficult to predict when your children will be asleep, so it’s a good idea to keep a travel bag of cosmetics like lip gloss and aftershave, so you’re prepared if you’re leaving in a rush.
Create An Interactive Checklist For Kids to Follow
Making your morning routines more controlled and manageable isn’t solely down to you as a parent, and your kids should be involved, too. Instead of constantly reminding them what they have to get done before you leave the house, you can create a visual schedule or checklist that either they or you can tick off with gold stars once they complete. They might be hesitant at first, but offering them a reward for completing every task will encourage them to give it a go. Not only will this save you time that you’d usually spend repeating yourself about the same task, but it will also teach them how to be independent and take responsibility for the things they’re set to do.
Connect With Your Family In The Morning
We’ve already discussed a few different methods aimed at saving you time in your morning routine; our final tip will help you start off every morning in a positive mood. Connection can refer to simply enjoying breakfast together or starting the day off with encouraging words for the day. Although it’s easy for parents to feel stressed in the rush to get out of the house on time, your kids will feel your stress themselves – even if you never intend them to. To help them start the day feeling optimistic, greet them each morning with positivity and calmness, and they will naturally reflect that energy back. Some parents find great success by using music to boost morale first thing in the morning, whereas others prefer to make time for educational videos to help with school work.
It’s important when looking for calmness in your family’s morning routines to not expect progress to be made in an instant. It’s equally necessary not to expect to have full control over how each morning will look; no routine or changing habits will give you complete control. While these tips are proven to help families reduce stress in their morning routines, what works for your family could look entirely different. To find what works best for you, try a number of different methods and tactics, and stick to the ones that show the biggest difference.