Back to school means back to the weekday morning grind of getting your entire family up, dressed, fed, and out the door on time. In my household, this morning madness is often accompanied by my children moving at a snail’s pace, a lot of indecisiveness, and a few bouts of complaining for good measure.
Most mornings I wake up with the optimism of Mary Poppins. Then, by the time the second glass of milk is spilled on the floor and the dog has taken off with the kids’ shoes, I turn into the Hulk. Intent on having a less stressful routine for my family during the school year, I began testing a few things to help make our mornings run more smoothly. I quickly learned the easiest way to make school mornings less stressful is to shift as much prep as possible to the night before, keep bedtime consistent, and give kids simple visual tools—like a checklist or countdown timer—so they can get ready with less hovering from me.
Here are 6 routines that have made the biggest difference in our household during back-to-school mornings.
You May Also Like:
- Back-to-School Doesn’t Have to Be This Stressful—Here’s How I’m Simplifying
- Crying at School Drop Off? Here’s What Helped My Child—And Me
- Is the Skylight Calendar Making My Life Easier? Here Is My Honest Review
How to prep for school mornings the night before
This one is hard because all I want to do after I put my kids to bed is plop on the couch and watch Bravo. However, if I put off prepping for the day until the next morning, I am guaranteed to have an anxiety attack before 7:30 a.m. As part of my “closing shift,” here are my must-dos before bed:
- Cleaning the kitchen
- Setting the coffee maker for the morning
- Packing lunches and snacks
- Making sure completed homework made its way into their backpacks
- Laying out children’s clothes for the morning (the kids do this before bedtime)
- Laying out my clothes for the morning
I’m always very grumpy when I’m cleaning and prepping for the day ahead. Yet, when I wake up in the morning to a clean kitchen and packed lunches ready to go, I’m grateful that I have the time to enjoy my coffee before the house erupts and give myself a well-deserved pat on the back.
A smooth morning routine starts with a good night’s sleep
First and foremost, a good night’s rest is essential for getting the day started on the right track. If my children need to be awake by 7 a.m. every day, then I know that a bedtime no later than 8:30 p.m. is a must. Now that my children are in elementary school, after-school activities and lessons tend to creep later and later into the day. My husband and I both agree that sleep and a healthy diet are priorities for our children. That’s why I make sure not to schedule anything that will keep them away from home past 7:30 p.m., when we begin the bedtime routine process.
Here is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) age-by-age recommendation for how much sleep school-age kids need:
- Ages 3-5 years: 10-13 hours (including naps)
- Age 6-12 years: 9-12 hours
- Age 13-18 years: 8-10 hours
Use kid-friendly alarm clocks
My son loves waking up to an alarm clock. It’s a small, square, blue neon gadget that we bought for him at a specialty store. Because it gives off a dim light at night, it also serves as his night light. He makes sure to set it every night and jumps out of bed the moment it starts to chime.
My daughter, on the other hand, loves her sleep. Therefore, I am her alarm clock. Ten minutes before she needs to get out of bed, I quietly open her shades, turn off her sound machine, and gently rub her back. This helps ease her way into her school morning routine.
How to make a morning routine checklist for kids
Outside of my children’s bedroom doors is a simple visual routine chart we’ve put together that outlines everything they need to do before heading downstairs for breakfast. They know to change out of their pajamas, brush their teeth and hair, make their beds, and head downstairs. You don’t need an elaborate Etsy-level morning routine chart, but if your kids respond better to visuals—or would benefit from a digital tool like the Skylight Buddy—go for it!
Save this morning routine checklist for kids:
- Get dressed (it helps if clothes are laid out the night before)
- Brush teeth
- Comb and brush hair
- Make bed
- Head down to breakfast
- Grab backpack, water bottle, lunch/snacks
- Put on shoes
Kids’ morning routine chart examples:
Utilize a visual countdown timer
After months of having to literally drag my children out of the house in the mornings, I was tired of losing my patience and feeling constantly overwhelmed—there had to be a better way. Then, I realized I was neglecting a key factor of childhood development when putting time constraints on my kids: they had very little concept of what time actually is. Giving them 15 minutes for this or 10 minutes for that meant nothing to them. I quickly went on Amazon and ordered a simple visual kitchen timer for each kid—one that clearly delineated how much time was left for each morning task with a red wedge that aligned with the minutes remaining.
“I realized I was neglecting a key factor of childhood development: they had very little concept of what time actually is.”
The next morning, I explained to them how it worked. They would be able to tell how much time we had for each morning activity by seeing how much red space was left; the red space would get smaller and smaller as their time was nearing a close. Suddenly, they were fine turning the TV off in 15 minutes after one show or finishing their breakfast quickly so they had “red time” leftover to play before school. They just had to see it.
Teaching self-sufficiency makes mornings easier for everyone
Teaching them how to get themselves ready in the morning has been a huge game-changer. It’s significantly improved our mornings. They also know that breakfast is at 8 a.m. sharp (even on the weekends), and there are no breakfast orders. It’s taken a (long) while, but they’ve learned to eat what I put in front of them for each meal without whining or complaining. Our mornings run so much more smoothly when I’m not making three different breakfasts.
Other moms agree that teaching kids to be self-sufficient and independent is the key to better mornings. “As a single mom in a tiny apartment, I have to have a routine—or else! The more we teach our kids to take responsibility for themselves, the easier mornings (and life) will be. My son started waking up to his own alarm, getting himself ready for school, making breakfast, and packing his own lunch in fourth grade. Now, he is in seventh grade and makes his own morning tea, too! It makes life so much easier,” shared Brittany.
Pro tip: Start your kids’ morning routine the week before the school year begins, so they’ll know what to expect once the first day of school arrives.
Noticing what you need to stay calm as a parent
Sometimes the chaos of the mornings gets the best of me. Before I know it, I’m yelling at my kids to hurry up because we should have left five minutes ago. Having an angry mom is the absolute worst way for my kids to start their days. It’s taken some time, but I’ve learned it helps to get up earlier before they do, choose my battles, and let all of the small things go. If my son wants to wear cowboy boots with sweatpants and a tank top, then go ahead! When my daughter refuses to wear socks with the shoes I know will give her blisters, then so be it. Eventually, they will learn from their choices and hopefully make better ones as time goes on.
Want to get your kid’s day started off on a positive note? Try these back-to-school affirmations.
Frequently Asked Questions about morning routines for kids
What time should kids wake up for school?
Elementary schoolers need between 9 and 12 hours of sleep, according to AAP guidelines. A typical school day could look like a 9:00 p.m. bedtime, wake at 7 a.m., get ready for school to leave by 8 a.m., and kids would get their recommended 10 hours of sleep.
What’s the best morning routine checklist for kids?
A simple, repeatable school morning routine checklist for kids works best: Get dressed, brush teeth, brush hair, make bed, eat breakfast, grab backpack + lunch, put on shoes, (and hug parents good-bye!)
What tools help kids get ready independently?
Visual morning routine charts, digital tools like Skylight Buddy, kid-friendly alarm clocks, and visual timers are mom-tested tools that encourage kids’ independence in the morning.
Gabriela Garcia, Contributing Writer
Gabriela is a former Senior Commerce Editor at Well+Good, where she oversaw content strategy across all platforms. Previously, she was the Senior Beauty Editor at Editorialist, leading the vertical through expansive growth. Her work can be seen in Bustle, Fashionista, Glamour, InStyle, Remezcla, The Pioneer Woman, and more. Gabriela has a Substack called Modern Brown Girl where she writes about product discovery, beauty and lifestyle trends, and conducts interviews with industry leaders.
Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor
Kathy Sisson has been a key contributor in the editorial parenting space for eight years, not only as a full-time editor at The Everymom but previously as a freelance writer for top parenting sites, including Scary Mommy, Motherly, Parent Co., and more. As an editor at The Everymom, she has produced hundreds of articles on a range of parenting topics, reviewed dozens of family-focused products, interviewed leading experts in the children and parenting world, and created viral parenting social media content. A mom of two, she is committed to sharing the honest, helpful, and often humorous stories of motherhood.