I recently read an interesting article offering some excellent advice on setting a morning routine for school.
Staying calm and being organised in the morning will help you and your child feel positive about the day ahead. It will also help you reduce stress, which is good for everyone's wellbeing. One of the best ways to stay calm and get organised is to have a morning routine for school. A routine will help your child know what's happening and remember what they need to do.
Tips to help with your morning routine:
- Get your child to have a bath or shower the night before, so you don't need to make time for this in the morning
- Make sure your child gets to bed with plenty of time for a good night's sleep. This will help your child wake up refreshed
- Get up 15-30 minutes earlier than you think you need to. This will give you more time in the morning
- Think about an alarm for children who find it hard to wake up or don't like getting out of bed.
Encouraging cooperation and good behaviour:
- Tackle the morning as positively as you can. You and your child could do this by sharing one thing that you're each looking forward to during the day
- Give your child calm, clear instructions about what you want them to do, and follow up with praise as soon as they start to cooperate
- Encourage children to do more for themselves as they get older and more independent. For example, a 5-year-old can do things like putting their lunch box in their bag. An 8-year-old can get dressed on their own, make their own breakfast, and tidy up after themselves
- Cut down on distractions like television, tablets, and other devices, unless screen time is a special treat for being ready on time
- Give your child positive recognition for good behaviour rather than attention for arguing, whining or stalling
- Make it fun! Perhaps play a game to encourage your child to be ready on time.
Sometimes children drag out the time in the morning as a way to avoid school. If you think this might be happening with your child, it's a good idea to check in with your child's teacher to make sure there aren't any problems that might be causing this.
Acknowledgement: www.raisingchildren.net.au the Australian parenting website
