Lateness is a habit and sometimes it could begin from childhood.
If there is anything parents will want to pass down to their children, we are sure lateness is not part of it.
Once this habit is formed, it is hard to make the necessary adjustments. For this reason, punctuality is a good legacy to pass on to your children from a tender age.
Getting your children ready for school on time is such a big issue for many mums.
Sadly, no matter how much some try, lateness will still stare them in the face and laugh.
This is partly due to the fact that school mornings can be somewhat chaotic for any parent especially if you don’t plan ahead.
Not only are you rushing out of the door, packing their lunch boxes late and then the kids take forever to wear their shoes. Sigh, the struggle is indeed real.
So, if you are one of those mums who are still worried about how to get their children ready for school on time, not to worry, because these article has got all the answers you need and more.
To make life easier, we’ve compiled 5 tips that guarantee smoother school mornings. They bring to an end every lateness issues.
1. Plan The Night Before
No matter how tired you are in the evenings, chances are you’ll be even more tired in the mornings. This is the more reason you have to plan the night before.
Your mornings don’t have to be so stressful.
With a consistent morning routine, you can get out of the door on time, take deep breaths and have a radiant smile on your face as you drop your kids off for school for.
The more things you can get out of the way in the evenings, the smoother your mornings will be.
Make sure your child’s backpack includes everything he needs to take to school the night before, such as:
- Homework
- stationeries
- lunch and snacks
- water bottle
- school uniforms
- pants
- singlet
- school shoes
- socks
In fact, one of the best kept secrets to getting your children ready for school on time is to fill their water bottles a night before and placing it in the lower part of the fridge.
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Preparing the night before can save you loads of time the next morning.
2. Eat The Same Breakfast On Weekdays
Tea and Bread five times a week? No this is not what we mean. It’s the easiest way to run on auto pilot while still making sure you feed your kids.
Pick your typical breakfast food and stick to it every weekday.
You can add variety by offering a different side fruit each day.
Breakfast ideas for younger children include cereals like Quaker oats, cornflakes, pap fortified with fruits, Golden morn, Kellogg’s Coco pops or beverages like Bournvita served with sandwiches or toast.
Be sure to stick to a simple breakfast. For instance, it takes five minutes to make oatmeal, but several more to make pancakes and eggs.
Run your mornings on autopilot, including your breakfast. That way you keep your mornings from further complications.
3. Get A Good Night’s Rest
Make sure you get your 8 hours of sleep the night before school, especially the first days of school.
Kids should sleep 10-12 hours. Tired parents and kids too cranky to function are the last things you need come school mornings.
Plus, your child will feel more alert the next day, as the healthiest, happiest kids are the best rested.
To avoid lateness too, you need to fix a dedicated sleep time daily and stick to it.
Turn off your devices, cellphones etc and you will be glad you did.
4. Wake Up Earlier Than The Kids
This is obviously a no-brainer. Especially as schools just resume.
Waking up before the kids is crucial on your journey to a stress free school morning, as this is the time when you can get yourself ready, tend to things you need to, and be fully alert before they wake up.
You can ditch the alarm on subsequent weekends.
As your kids get older, they’ll be more patient in the mornings, but for younger kids, waking up earlier than they do saves time and ensures a smoother school morning.
See these lunch-box ideas
With this time, you can do those things you’d rather do alone, from sorting lunch bags to getting dressed.
And you can use that time to prepare breakfast and avoid hungry and cranky children.
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5. Follow the same morning routine every day
One of the many benefits of implementing routines is they do the ‘nagging’ for you. Kids run on autopilot when they know what’s next.
Imagine a life where your kids wake up and brush their teeth, take a shower and have their clothes on, then they file out of the room, eat their cereal and fruit.
Then its a few minutes of play time. And by the time you announce it’s time to leave, head to the front door to put their shoes on and grab their bags.
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They will know to do these things without you telling them because they do the same thing every single day.
Get your kids involved in the night before routine by teaching them where to keep their school bags, shoes etc as soon as they come back from school.
Happy non cranky school mornings!
