Now that the carefree days of summer are over and school is back in full swing, families everywhere are struggling to change their morning routine from chaos to harmony. If your family is one of them, here are some practical tips to get into the back to school groove.
- Start Your Day Rested and Relaxed.
Not to be obvious, but make sure that everyone in your family gets plenty of sleep. You will wake up renewed and ready to go. If one of your family members struggles with mornings, plan to wake them earlier so they can ease into the school day slowly.As the leader of your pack, consider starting your day ahead of the rest of the family. Getting up before the ruckus will help you to center and organize yourself before you are needed to quarterback the rest of the team. - Add Motivation to Your Morning
Inspire your family to do great things by adding motivation to the morning. Play energetic music while you get ready for the day. Share together those things you are looking forward to or things you are grateful for. Rather than just rushing through the morning ritual, use the energy and velocity of preparing for the day to set everyone in the right mindset. These simple tips alone can make a big difference in your children’s attitudes in school and your success at work. - Assign Everyone a Responsibility
Everyone can pitch in to make the morning ritual less hectic and more pleasant for all. Regardless of age, there is something everyone can do. Younger children can take care of their grooming by brushing their hair and teeth and getting dressed, while older kids can be responsible for breakfast, making lunches, and sweeping through the house for stray items. The goal is to establish a routine that everyone can follow consistently. Routine leads to efficiency. Preparation for the day ahead should start the night before, and everyone can be responsible for their duties. Make sure to have someone in charge of checking the weather and reporting to the rest of the family so that everyone can choose an appropriate outfit and outdoor clothes for the next day. Have everyone gather what they will need for the next day in their backpacks to go back to school and confirm all their homework is complete and ready to go. - Keep Breakfast Simple
It’s important to start the day off right with a healthy breakfast, but save the complicated pancakes or eggs for weekends or holidays. Keep a stash of healthy, fast breakfast items ready for weekdays, such as whole wheat toast, low sugar cereal, low-fat muffins, fruit, hard boiled eggs, instant oatmeal, and yogurt. Keep it easy, hearty, and include choices that travel for those days when you are running late, such as power bars and cheese sticks. - Aim to Leave Early.Expect the unexpected and schedule your morning so that you head out 15-20 minutes before you need to. Don’t set yourself up to fail if you hit every red light on the way to work. Leave time to take a breath, chat with your family, and plan the evening activities.
We can’t stop time and go back to the laidback days of summer, but we can establish a routine that is less chaos and more harmony as the kids head back to school.