5 Easy Morning Routines for Back to School

Mornings don’t have to be a struggle. With these easy back to school morning routines, you’ll be out the door before you know it. Check them out!

Mornings don’t have to be a struggle. With these easy back to school morning routines, you’ll be out the door before you know it. Check them out!

Let’s be honest – getting back into the swing of the school year is tricky. Going from sleeping in to needing to be up and at ‘em in time to catch the bus is a bummer for both kids and parents. Establishing a routine early on is crucial for little ones and beneficial for the whole family. Knowing what to expect helps develop a flow that will ultimately save you a ton of time. Check out a few easy morning routines that will work for kids of all ages (and adults, too)!

 

Easy Morning Routines for Back to School

 

  1. Create an interactive task strip. For younger kids, a task strip is a great way to keep them moving along in the morning. Take a picture of each part of the morning routine (for example: bathroom, brush teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, make lunch, get backpack, bus or car) and put them on a strip of poster board. Laminate the strip and affix a small piece of Velcro under each picture. Next, laminate a picture of your child and affix Velcro to the back of the picture. As your child goes through the routine, have him move his picture to the next step. By involving him in the routine, he’s much more likely to complete it without complaint.
  1. Prepare lunch and snack bins for easy access. Throwing together lunch in the mornings is tough for me, and for some reason I don’t like to prepare lunch the night before. I recently saw a great idea to prepare bins in the fridge so your kids can put together their own lunches and snacks. Simply make some sandwiches and prepare your bins a couple of times a week and making lunches in the morning will be a cinch!
  1. Bite-sized breakfasts. Breakfast is the longest part of our morning routine, and I find that making some bite-sized breakfast options over the weekend makes the weekday mornings go much more smoothly. Hard-boil eggs, make muffin-pan egg cups, cut up a melon or pineapple, or make some yummy pear muffins. I feel much better giving my kids protein and fruit for breakfast than cereal, and if it’s already in the fridge, it doesn’t take any extra effort on those sluggish Mondays (and Tuesdays and Wednesdays…).

Pear Muffins: One of our Favorite Delicious Muffins Recipes for Kids

 

  1. Stay organized. There is nothing worse than running around just before the bus is due to arrive because you can’t find a shoe or jacket. Have a designated spot (like this storage locker) for each child’s shoes, backpacks, and jackets, and work with them to ensure that at the end of the day, all of their items are where they belong. Keeping everything organized will lend to a much less hectic morning.
  1. Most importantly – set the coffee on auto. Don’t forget about yourself. If you use a drip coffee maker like I do, utilize the auto feature. Seriously. It’s a whole different ballgame when the coffee is waiting for you when you wake up.

Mornings can be a great time for you to spend with your kids and get the day off on the right foot. With these easy changes to your morning routine, you’ll be able to enjoy the time versus run around like a crazy person. Your entire family will feel better for it!

What other morning routines do you like? Any other bite-sized breakfast recipes that are a hit with your family? Please share!

17 thoughts on “5 Easy Morning Routines for Back to School”

  1. Mornings can be rough when kids are used to sleeping in! I think these tips will really help those with little ones.

  2. This reminds me have to start getting the kids up in the morning and going to bed at school times as summer is coming to an end. Our classed don’t resume until after Labor Day so we still have a couple of weeks to wind into the Back to School routine

  3. Christina Almond

    Good tips! Mornings really do go much more smoothly when you are organized and prepared! There is barely anything worse than starting out the day with a crazy morning–it impacts your whole day!

  4. Making breakfast ahead of time is great for busy school days. I used to do that with my kids when they were in school.

  5. I’m a teacher and I am not happy about returning to school because it’s been such a great summer. I always set out my clothes and make my lunch the night before…can’t function any other way.

  6. These are great ideas! I don’t drink coffee–I know, I’m weird! I get my caffeine from Diet Coke. I always try to stay organized though. Try being the key word.

  7. Doria Miyata Murphy

    These are really great tips! We homeschool now, but when we did private school I always packed lunches the night before and had a list for the boys for things they had to do to get ready each morning :)

  8. We make and freeze breakfast burritos for a quick, heat and eat breakfast on the go. They pop them in the microwave, tie their shoes and voila breakfast is served. The kids are older now and over the years we have come up with ways so they can sleep later and get ready faster.

  9. No more kids in school around our house. Remember getting everything organized and found the night before was always a big help for morning time.

  10. We homeschool now, but when I was working outside the home, and my daughter went to public school, preparing the night before was essential. I packed her lunch after dinner, during kitchen clean up. We laid out clothes the night before, and already talked about breakfast options the next morning. It made things much easier.

  11. We do everything the night before – pack lunches, lay out clothes and the kids shower. Mornings are a breeze around here.

  12. I think #2 is so important. I watch my cousin deal with this and she says, like you that leaving it till the morning does her in. Of course #5 works for everyone. I used to be an O.J person, but now..coffee is a must every morning :-).

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *