MORNING ROUTINE
Our mornings are usually like groundhog day when the kids are at school. However, there are so many benefits of having a routine in place:
- Having a regular and consistent routine ensures that I get the kids out the door with everything they need, clean clothes, lunches, notes for school
- When we have a hectic morning, our routine makes me feel less stressed as I know what needs to be done
- As your children grow they will learn the routine and want to help (my kids are currently at this stage and I am LOVING it), which is a perfect way for them to learn about responsibility
- If I go out for the day I enjoy coming home to a tidy house
My morning routine
This is morning routine I had when the kids were all in primary school. Now that my kids are older (all in high schoolnow) I have adjusted it slightly, they wake themselves up, I make lunches the night before and I make myself presentable before breakfast.
6.40am – wake up and have a shower
6.55am – make my bed
7.00am – wake up kids
7.05am – kids make their own breakfast
7.10am – start preparing lunches for kids and hubby (lunchbox ideas here)
7.20am – kids unpack dishwasher
7.30am – kids start their morning routine
7.30am – put away dishes washed the night prior, pack dishwasher, wipe benches
7.40am – eat breakfast and relax for 10 minutes, I check my to-do list and calendar
7.50am – brush and style (braids or ponytails) girls hair, ideas here
8.00am – put washing on the line if I didn’t do the night before
8.10am – time to get myself presentable for the day (hair and a little make-up)
8.25am – give the kids countdown 5 minutes till we leave
8.30am – in car driving to school drop off
8.40am – go to the gym or home, put the kettle on, while kettle boiling wipe over kids bathroom basin
8.45am – My day begins, either doing housework, working on the blog, running errands or catching up with friends
Create your morning routine
Use the blank morning routine list printable to create your own routine. Every family is different so please consider your schedule, the help of a partner and the ages of your kids when creating your morning routine.
- Be realistic with the time you have available
- Can you partner help with morning tasks?
- The ages of your children
- Add into your routine the areas that you know you/your family need help with eg. time for chores for the kids, putting dirty clothes into the laundry, washing dishes, preparing for the evening meal in the morning
You may also enjoy this post on creating a stress free school morning routine.
Create a morning routine for the kids
This is my kids morning routine chart pictured below, they started using this chart when they were in kindy (aged 3). This promptly removed the chaos out of our mornings and was a great visual reminder for the kids to know what they needed to do each morning.
I have tasks in a specific order, eg brush teeth before uniform/clothes goes on so they don’t get toothpaste splatter over their clean uniform (as kids do). I also like them having their socks on so when it’s time to go all they need to do is put on shoes not spend an extra 5 minutes to put socks on.
This chart is available in my shop along with the option to create personalised charts. View range of kids routine charts here.
[wlchecklist name=’PreTask3Createamorningroutineforkids’]
DOWNLOAD
Print the morning routine lists to help you create your own morning routine that suits you and your family.
- MORNING ROUTINE – file behind ‘Routines’ divider – click to download.
- BLANK MORNING ROUTINE – file behind ‘Routines’ divider – click to download.
270 comments
Ah! My morning routine is a work in progress I think. Kat, can you or will you be doing a list of times/essentials that need to be done in regards to cleaning? For example, I see you have ‘wipe kids basin’ on yours, I am not sure of the things that need to be done daily which I need to incorporate into my routines (to make a positive change that is, I wipe benches after dishes at night). My morning routine actually begins an hour before I usually get up! I realise no wonder I am always pushed for time and running late. I have done a black and white spare copy in pencil so I can modify it this week as school starts back.
I’ll be sharing my systems and each day is sharing a new routine that will help you to create a system that helps you
I have a pretty snappy morning routine – Up at 5:45 and out the door on my way to work at 6:20. 3 or 4 days per week and hubby does the getting kids out of bed, showered and dressed, lunches packed, homework done and out the door to school on those days. On the other week days I work from home so I still do the same wake up and get up routine but then get straight into work till it is time for me to walk the boys to school. And I doubt hubby would bother with creating a routine.
Awesome routine Amanda 🙂
Done!!
I’m envious over your wake up time – mine is a whole hour earlier and I’m not even working at the moment (studying though)!!! Have 2 little ones and unless I get up & shower before them, I really struggle to get the day started and out the door on time on childcare days. As it is, I’m often not getting to child care until 9am. I think I’m going to struggle next year when my eldest starts Kindy and has to be there by 8.30am. Hoping that the kids being that little bit older will make them that little bit more independent (wishing) 🙂
The routine charts do help Anna, getting the kids up and them knowing what they need to do. My kids have used their charts since they were so young, around 3, the pictures helped them when they couldn’t read. You’ll get there and learn a new rhythm next year 🙂
I just organised three routines for my older ones. I think they are going to get a bit of a shock next week. I feel good that they now have jobs to do, including a special job that they will be responsible each day for the week. That will take the pressure of me a little I hope.
Exactly Felicity, you have it in a nutshell, they are capable and it’s a good life lesson you are teaching them about responsibility and sharing tasks around the house.
Kat is there meant to be an email with a link to the Facebook group? I’m only getting the regular daily task emails. Not sure how I’ll go with the morning /night routines as I do shift work. If I do a late/early shift I get home at 2230, get lunch ready for the next day, uniform laid out, feed the.pets, shower and bed. If I’m not too tired I will tidy the main kitchen bench and put on a laundry load. Then up at 0530 and out the door by 0610. Think the routines list will have to be for hubby.
I’m going to send an email out soon, so many have missed the facebook invite in their facebook notifications to the group
Finally got this one sorted. Decided to get some input from my hubby and kids to see what we think will work. Lucky our mornings are reasonably stress free, but adding some more responsibility tasks for the kids will take practice 🙂
Great idea as it involves them too!
I’m struggling with this one. I look after three properties at the moment and have a 14 month old daughter, along with a disabled parent(property two) and another parent who’s damaged her shoulder (property three). I am my dad’s carer three days a week and at the moment my mum’s farmhand. Mainly it depends on how well my daughter has slept as she has been sick on and off all winter having just started childcare two days a week. I really need to get this right as my day works so much better when we’re up and gone by 9 at the latest. I think as long as I dont put times to it I should be ok.
Sandra, you have so much to do and so many to look after, just make sure you work out your priorities and at least get them done each day.
Task 3 done 🙂
🙂
Done and dusted. We already have routines, I just need to try and get more/earlier sleep so I can get up before the kids for exercise and quiet work time. Starting small though, I know grand schemes are more likely to crash and burn.
Over this past year I have found myself waking up earlier, body clock has just decided I no longer want sleep ins (annoying), but I must admit that I can get so much done in that extra hour each morning.
Task 3 is completed, lets hope it’s achievable!
Make a soft start if you need Malissa, just and complete at least half of it and than gradually add in one extra task.