12 ways to create the perfect morning routine for school
With school just around the corner, we’ll soon be navigating our morning routines again. Those precious moments with your children before they head off to school are so valuable. In our home, I’ve noticed that grumpy mornings set a negative tone for the day, and as a mom, it’s never easy to send off your kids after a rough start. I’d like to share our school morning routine and some helpful tips that make those early hours a bit smoother.
Remember, everyone has their share of good and bad mornings—including our kids. Perfection isn’t the goal, but we can certainly aim to make our routines as smooth as possible before the school drop-off.
Perfecting the Morning Routine for School: The night before school
1). Start getting ready the night before. Before the kids go to bed, take a moment to help your children pack their backpacks for the next morning. Ask them if there’s anything special they need to remember for the next day or scan your teacher’s emails if you have small children. If your children are school-aged, be sure to include them in the responsibility of packing their bags. By adding this little bit of responsibility, you will boost their confidence and give them a little independence over their school life.
2). If you pack a lunch for your children, pack it the night before and put it in the refrigerator. The morning rush is hectic enough, so take one thing off your list in the mornings. It’s also a great opportunity to pack your lunch or your partner’s lunch the night before. If you’re on a wellness journey, making your lunch decision by preparing it the night before will help you make better decisions about the food you put into your body at lunchtime.
3). Get the children to bed early and at a consistent time. According to the Sleep Foundation, children should get the following amount of sleep:
- Ages 4-12 months: 12-16 hours (including naps)
- Ages 1-2 years: 11-14 hours (including naps)
- Ages 3-5 years: 10-13 hours (including naps)
- Age 6-12 years: 9-12 hours
- Age 13-18 years: 8-10 hours
Take a look at the time you need to wake your children up in the mornings and back that time up by 9-12 hours, depending upon their age and individual sleep needs. Make sure their bedtime during the week is consistent and non-negotiable. If you have trouble getting your kids to sleep, be sure to check out my blog post, 14 Tips for Getting Kids to Sleep.
Morning Routine for School
4). Get up 30-60 minutes before your children. During this time, you can read, workout, pray, meditate, journal, or engage in a long-lost hobby. Give yourself time to wake up and pull yourself together before you begin your day with your children. If you’re proactive about your morning, you’ll feel more in control of it like the day didn’t push you around. Personally, I’m much more grumpy if I don’t have a little alone time before I’m at the beck and call of everyone else.
5). Have a consistent wake-up time, and give your kids time with you first thing in the morning. My children respond best when I wake them up 10-15 minutes before we need to. One of my children REALLY doesn’t like to get up, but he does best when we have a little extra time to be silly together before getting out of bed.
6). In our family, we get the children dressed before they go downstairs to eat breakfast—and I mean fully dressed, socks and shoes and all. It saves time if they’re fully dressed, and we’re not hunting down shoes and socks at the last minute before heading out the door. If your child is a messy eater, this may not be the best bet for you, but in our family, it has worked to tame the last-minute chaos.
Make time for your kids in the mornings
7). Eat a healthy breakfast with your kids in the morning. Giving your child as much time with you in the mornings will make their day much brighter. If possible, sit down with them to talk about their upcoming day or week. Breakfast is a great time to remind them of their math or spelling test and to make sure they feel ready.
8). If you’re in a rush (no one is perfect!), fix your child’s hair while your child eats. I don’t always do this if we’re all sitting down to eat together, but if we’re short on time and patience, I grab a brush and start fixing my daughter’s hair at the breakfast table.
9). If possible, allow your children 15-20 minutes of playtime before heading off to school. Of course, you have to be intentional about adding playtime to your routine, but giving them free play before leaving for school makes kids much happier about going to school. Even if it’s only 10 minutes, do your best to allow their imagination to soar before they have to sit for most of the day. If you’re able, get down on the floor and play with them for a few minutes. This little connection with you in the mornings makes kids more cooperative.
Intentional ending of the morning routine for school
10). Brush teeth and wash face. Our kids brush their teeth and wash their faces a few minutes before we head out the door. It’s usually the last thing they do before heading to the car.
11). Ensure your child knows your transportation plan for the day. Not knowing who is picking them up, if they’re supposed to ride the bus, or what vehicle to look for can create unnecessary anxiety for kids. Make sure your kids know the plan for the day before they leave for school.
12). Create a morning goodbye ritual with your children, and be sure to give them encouragement before going to school. For example, a goodbye ritual can just be a hug, a high five, or a few words of encouragement. Make it consistent and something positive from you before they leave.
Avoid Awakening the "Monkey Brain"
Big Pro Tip: Don’t allow screen time in the mornings. The concept of avoiding screen time in the mornings, especially before school, is rooted in understanding how screens affect children’s readiness and behavior. I’ve written a blog called “Tips to Reduce Screentime: Creating Healthy Habits for Kids This Summer.“
Here’s a brief explanation of screentime impacts on a developing brain before school.
Screentime impacts on the brain
- Before school, children are transitioning from sleep to waking hours. Allowing screen time, such as using tablets, phones, or TVs, engages what is sometimes referred to as the “monkey brain.” This refers to a state where the brain is more reactive, impulsive, and emotionally charged.
- Screens, such as tablets, give fast-paced stimulation through visuals, sounds, and rapid changes. It stimulates a primal part of the brain and it makes it harder for children to focus on their school day.
- The “monkey brain” state also affects emotional regulation. Children may become more prone to emotional outbursts or have difficulty managing their emotions if they are exposed to stimulating content or games on screens early in the morning.
- Morning time is crucial for setting a positive tone and preparing mentally for the day ahead. Engaging in screen activities disrupts the process by taking attention and mental energy away from getting ready for school.
- Avoid screens in the car on the way to school. While it may seem like a convenient way to keep children occupied, screens stimulate the brain in a way that doesn’t support a calm and focused transition to school.
- Instead, use the car ride as a time for conversation, listening to music, or reflecting on the day ahead. This will help prepare them for their day ahead. For example, during our commute to school, there’s a road that has a ton of speed bumps. When getting my son, Kindergarten ready, we counted the speed bumps every day. Sometimes we started at 1, sometimes we started at 10 or 20 or higher so he got familiar with counting higher numbers. We even counted them in Spanish and French sometimes. Try to find things to entertain them on the school commute that doesn’t involve a screen.
By setting boundaries around screen time in the morning, parents can help establish healthy habits that prioritize physical readiness, emotional stability, and cognitive focus before the demands of the school day begin.
In closing, if your routine isn’t working for you and your family, don’t be afraid to try something different. For instance, when I find that a part of our routine isn’t working anymore, I’ll talk about it with my kids. We may come up with suggestions together. Alternately, I may just tell them: we’re going to try [this] tomorrow to see if it makes our mornings work better for us and to also get their buy-in. Giving them a heads up on the new routine helps them know what to expect the next day. We really like our routine now, but we’ve had many tweaks along the way, and I’m sure there will be more tweaks in the future as the kids get older.