It’s been two weeks now and we’re getting into the swing of school. Some mamas out there just excel at being on time and stress free when getting ready for school. But for others it’s a learning experience. When a mama is dealing with multiple kids, lunches to pack, breakfast and early schedules, mornings can be stressful and harried.
Last year was my first with a school age child and I was rendered nearly senseless by pregnancy nausea. If you’ve had severe pregnancy nausea, you know what I mean. Somehow, my daughter came through unscathed but we definitely got into a habit of Robert and me driving the “get out the door” process.
This year I started the year determined to be more organized, on time and stress free. Thankfully, I have some wise mama friends who’ve given us good counsel and we’re using a lot of it to create a pleasant school routine for ourselves.
1. Do homework right after school. At first, I tried to let my oldest have a little playtime before homework. But, I discovered she focuses a lot better with a quick snack and immediate homework. Then, she’s free to play the rest of the day.
2. Early bedtime prep. My friend Sarah suggested showers before dinner when I expressed frustration that our new before 8 AM school schedule meant an early bedtime cut into “Daddy” time. She encouraged showering before dinner so the kids can hang with Dad a little longer before bed.
3. Earlier bedtime. In order to get the 10-12 hours of sleep most preschool/elementary school kids need, our kids head to bed right after dinner, around 6:45 pm. Great advice from my friend Nina. I know this sounds SO early but our oldest must read 20 minutes a night for school and she wants to read longer. So we compromise with an early “quiet time”. Our goal is for her to fall asleep by around 7:30.This is huge for both behavior and overall peace and fun in our house. 🙂
4. Earlier wake-up call. At first, I let my school kid sleep as long as possible but soon realized she just doesn’t move fast enough to handle a 30 minute lead time. So, we’re slowly transitioning her to a wake up time that gives her a little over an hour to get ready in the morning. Bonus: More time with Dad!
5. Pack lunch the previous night. This eliminates racing around in the morning. Plus, if she helps pack it, she’s less likely to come home with uneaten food. Like any frugal mama, wasted food makes me cringe!
6. Plan breakfast in advance and make it easy. Consider options like yogurt and fruit, toast and eggs, make ahead breakfast burritos, fast oatmeal or set a blender full of fruit and yogurt in the fridge the night. Check pinterest for new ideas!
7. No TV during the school week. My parents always had this rule and since implementing it, we find it a lot easier to get everything done in the evening before bed. Also, no zombie kids!
8. Encourage your child to develop an internal sense of responsibility and use natural consequences to support it. The first few weeks, I felt SO frustrated because I had to hound my daughter into finishing her prep to be on time. We were on time every day but I felt so frustrated and I know she did too. One morning after about 3697 “Come on! Let’s go!” comments, I had a revelation.
How can will my child learn to be responsible if I place the burden on myself?
When she came home that day, we decided to try something different. Now, she knows that her responsibilities are
- Get up when I call (we’ll give her her own alarm clock soon)
- Get dressed
- Eat breakfast
- Carry her lunch and backpack to the car
My responsibility is
- Help her figure out how much time she needs for each task to be on time
- To drive her
She knows that she needs to complete her responsibilities on time without my nagging her. The natural consequence of being late is that she has to apologize to her teacher for interrupting his class and being late. That is mortifying to her so she’s very motivated to be on time.
If she doesn’t hit the mark, my job is to help her figure out how to use her time more wisely or maybe get up earlier. And, we DON’T try to figure it out in the car.
This has made the most difference in our morning routine. It took one day for me to get used to not nagging. And, the stress that I feel about her being on time has literally melted away.
And, guess what? We haven’t been late yet!
Next – we’re going to figure out how to get through that giant pack of homework with a better attitude.
What do you do to help your kids develop responsibility while creating a peaceful, fun home environment? Please share in the comments for other moms looking for ideas.