School mornings are one of the most stressful parts of the day for many parents. You’re running around trying to wake the kids up, find their clothes, and make breakfast all whilst trying to get yourself ready for work. It’s tough and it only becomes more challenging when you have kids who aren’t ready to cooperate or listen to you in the morning. “I don’t want to go to school,” or “I forgot to do my homework,” or the ever so often one “I can’t find my shoes!” can send you over the edge.
The bright side is that there are some effective ways that you can make your mornings more hassle-free and get your kids off to start the day on a more positive note. Here are some that you can start on right away:
- Plan and get things ready the night before
I can’t stress what a game-changer this one is and it teaches young children to organize themselves and manage their time wisely at the same time. Instead of watching TV late at night or playing video games, make it a point as a family to get things ready for the next morning. This may include picking an outfit, finding your shoes and socks, taking a bath, packing a lunch for the next day, planning your breakfast, and getting homework done and backpack ready for the next morning. Doing all these things at night saves you from doing all these extra things in the morning.
- Get your kids on board
Chances are that if you get worked up from all the stress in the morning, your children do too. So, have a conversation with them and ask them for their suggestions on how your morning routines can be a lot smoother. Once you get their input, chances are they will also see that things need to change and be more inclined to help make it happen. It is a great opportunity for them to learn new skills and be more independent so get them to do a lot of the tasks on their own.
- Post a check-list
Kids often need reminders of what they need to complete as a part of their routine. Instead of you having to remind them, it is a good idea to post a checklist that includes all the necessary tasks to be done in the morning. This could include brushing teeth, washing face, checking backpack, putting lunch in the bag, etc. Trying to remember each thing can be challenging on those sleepy mornings so this idea works really well.
- Make wake up time more relaxing
Mornings can be chaotic and noisy with loud buzzing alarms, kids whining and you yelling at them to get out of bed. The noise and the extra stress can be overwhelming for our little ones and can affect the way their day goes. So, try focusing on quieter, calmer mornings. The alarm sound can be their favorite song or you can play soft music as they get ready, you can wake them up with nice hugs and kisses and do a short breathing exercise with them which will all lead to calmer kids and calmer you.
What You Can Do Next?
1. Subscribe to our Newsletter
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2. Register for my FREE Training (for children 5 – 9yrs)
Register for my free training, ‘How To Bring Peace and Calm To Your Home & Help Support Your Child’s Emotions Without Resorting To Yelling”.
I will support you with some easy tips to help you and your family, as well as provide you with some potential solutions in a free strategy session.
You will get some great information but also if there is a fit you will be offered a spot in our Masterclass 6 Month Program.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Internationally Recognised Emotional Literacy & Mindfulness Expert Tenille Bentley is the founder of The Emotional Literacy and Mindfulness Academy and the author of the children’s emotional literacy books with Jazzy and Pinky and The Energy Ball. Giving children a wonderful introduction to understanding their emotions and what to do with them.
Tenille has been featured on Channel 9 News and other major outlets. Her work has been recognized in the community by The Governor of Western Australia, The Prime Minister of Australia, and Australian Financial Review.
As a child, she experienced severe anxiety and emotional traumas as well as bullying which left her feeling isolated and unable to understand why she was feeling the way she did. As an adult, this impacted her ability to make healthy decisions because she didn’t have the tools to understand her emotions.
This is why she is passionate about equipping parents with the tools to support their children to make better decisions in life and healthy ones to help support and create a balanced home life.
