School mornings are typically filled with a lot of tasks and responsibilities, especially for mothers. It can get so stressful that you even begin to forget things.
Don’t feel bad if your children show up late to school regularly or you forget important things – even though you planned for it the night before. You’re not alone.
A parent or not, everyone rushes in the morning. Of course mothers have more obligations than most, so school mornings are usually harder to manage.
The more kids you have, the more hectic school days are. More so, if you’re a working or busy mother.
However, it can get easier.
With the tips and tricks below, you’ll be able to make school mornings easier by getting your children ready and straight to school with ease.
You’ll even have time to rest or run personal errands before work! Here they are:
1. Sort Out Clothes for the Week on Weekends
You wouldn’t want your children to show up to school in rumpled uniforms. Neither would you also want burn their uniforms because you’re in hurry.
Though, it can be tiring to sort and iron school uniforms every night of the week; especially when you would rather attend to something else in the evenings or relax.
Make time on Saturdays to sift through and prepare all the uniforms your children will need for the school week.
Have them ironed and hung in a special section in the wardrobe. If your kids are old enough, show them where you have kept them so they know where to pick it up in the morning.
2. Make School Mornings Better with Music
Play music on a portable speaker to inspire and energise your kids. Resist the urge to play music that YOU like.
Instead, choose music you know excite your kids. When you do this every morning, it becomes a routine.
Your children wake up every morning and are not so grumpy because they are listening to music, singing along and preparing themselves for school.
You would notice that if you stopped, they may even ask “mummy, where is the music?”
Giving your children an enjoyable morning routine to look forward to, reduces the amount of energy you have to put in trying to get them to hurry up, wear their uniforms and eat breakfast.
With toddlers, you won’t have to try so hard make them eat. As you sing along to the music, they would be too distracted by the music to refuse anything you do.
And there you have it, you’ve made school mornings easier because of kids who are not reluctant or difficult in the mornings.
3. Early Nights Lead to Early School Mornings
There are so many benefits to early school mornings. They not only allow you and your family to take it easy but also to eliminate any tension and anxiety in you or your kids.
Obviously, anxiety and tension lead to stress, howbeit, feeling stressed in the morning can ruin the rest of the day.
Early nights will not only allow your child be able to wake up for school without feeling sleep-deprived, but leave them more energetic during the day and focused in the classroom.
Now how to achieve this? Replace TV with reading an hour before their bed-time. As their brains settle into reading, the activities of the day begin to take its toll on their bodies, causing them to sleep off.
Just be sure to buy them some books with colourful images and interesting stories.
If you’re managing a younger, more energetic child – play them an exciting activity or workout video that they can imitate. This will tire them out and cause them to fall asleep.
4. Opt for Quick Breakfast and Lunches
Avoid wasting time trying to make elaborate breakfasts and lunches on school mornings because you want to give your kids variety.
While this is great, there are faster ways to do so and quicker options that would make the kids happy.
If you own a microwave, pack their lunches the night before and warm it up for them in the mornings. If you don’t own one, you can make the food the night before and warm it up in the morning.
Add a variety of cereals, biscuits, salads, fruits and even smoothies to their menu for quick and easy options. It’s the smart thing to do, make your school mornings easier, save the elaborate and complicated meals for the weekend!
5. Pack Their School Bags the Night Before
Or make them do it themselves if they are old enough. The last thing you want is to rush them to school, only to realise they’ve forgotten something important!
Make it a habit to pack their school bags or have them do it for the next day, as soon as they are done with their homework.
Packing includes money for lunch, homework, receipts or any signed notes they should be taking to school the next day.
By doing this, you have one less thing to worry about in the mornings. Nobody is panicking or devastated that he or she lost something & they’re going to be late.
6. Make a To-do List
Make a standby do-list that guides you on all days of the school week. This to-do list should be placed where it can be seen.
With a to-do list, you’re not wondering what needs to be done or forgetting anything. All you have to do is check the list and see what needs to be done. It keeps you organised.
Even when you’re unavailable, the adults or the oldest child at home can follow this list to ensure that all is achieved for an easy school morning the next day.
You can make one for your kids to follow as well. This will help you follow up on their activities easily, making school mornings easier.
8. Create a Morning Routine
Having a consistent routine in the mornings is very helpful for kids, especially the younger ones. Simple schedules that they can follow keeps the organised and lets them know what is expected of them.
Creating a routine with the general to-do list as stated above will guide the children through their responsibilities for each morning.
It will also give you less to worry about and make school mornings easier.
