Getting ready for the first morning of a school day is stressful and hectic for parents and children. To motivate your kids waking up early and getting ready is the hardest task especially after the summer holiday where all rules and routine habits have disappeared. To change this negative and grumpy attitude, here are some thoughts to consider in preparing your kids for the first morning:
Plan your first morning: Reinstall the routine habits a week before school starts. A good night sleep affects your child’s attitude. If your kids do not get enough sleep, you will have to expect a grouchy, grumpy and angry child in the morning. Rework the sleeping habits.
Choose their morning outfits before they sleep if your child’s school does not follow a unified uniform. This step will eliminate arguing in the morning over the outfit and making your child feeling angry.
Teach self-responsibility; let your child adjust his alarm and teach him to wake up when the alarm rings without you or their dad shouting and hovering to get them up which creates negative feelings. This habit will teach your child the sense of autonomy and makes him start his day in a calm environment.
Create a morning checklist for your kids and make it visible and simple as:
o Brush your teeth
o Comb your hair
o Put your clothes
o Tie your shoes
o Fix your pyjama
o Fix your bed (if your child is big enough to do the task)
o Etc.
Prepare breakfast menu with your child a week before. Breakfast is very important. Some experts state that this is the most important meal of the day and children who eat breakfast perform better at school and are more energetic and have better weight control.
Organize your mornings so you won’t miss anything. Pack your kids’ lunchbox at night and make sure that all their books and school stationary are already packed and installed on the bags rack ready to go.
For some people, mornings are the stressful time of their day. The challenge is to find a way to get your kids into the routine habits again and to do what is asked from them without conflict and struggle. Have fun in your first day preparation for school and enjoy it with your kids!