Get a Good Start with a Morning Routine for Your Kids

Everyone loves a smooth and happy start to their morning. I know we do at our house! And, honestly, the best way I’ve found to ensure a good start each day is to have a morning routine for everyone to follow. Everything just runs so much smoother when each person knows what they have to do to get ready (and it definitely saves this mama’s sanity)!

Routines are built on habits, and good habits are formed by consistently doing something repeatedly over time. And when kids get involved, consistency and patience are the best ingredients to success!

What makes a good morning routine? 

Every family will have their own things that are important to them, but there are some basic things that we all need to do to get ready (and kids sometimes kids forget about!). This list out is just the essential things to get you started when forming your own awesome morning routine.

Wake up early enough to really wake up.

If you’re a morning person, this might mean an extra five minutes just to meditate on your intentions for the day and know what is coming. If you’re a night owl, this might mean 30-45 minutes earlier so you can go slowly and drink your coffee in peace before the kid chaos begins. 

While this might seem counterintuitive (what night owl wants to wake up even earlier, right?), giving yourself time to wake fully up before your kids can get your day off on the right foot simply because you feel more ready for it.

Wake up at the same time every day.

Our bodies love rhythm and consistently and sleeping at the same time every day helps it to work its best! Did you know you can train yourself to wake up without an alarm? Keeping a consistent rhythm helps everyone dive with a good start (and a good attitude!) to the morning routine.

Hydrate! 

I know most people flock to the coffee pot first thing in the morning for a caffeine fix (yours truly included!), but having a cup of water first thing can actually prepare you for the rest of the day. And if you can stand it to be room temperature, your body will absorb it easily!

Get Dressed.

This seems obvious for us adults, but in our pandemic world, it’s definitely not been a given for everyone. Getting dressed reminds us of the things to come for the day and to pay attention to the weather and our surroundings. 

Help to teach your kids these things too by encouraging them to pick what they want to wear and what they need to wear for the weather that day! (Although, no judgment here if this is sometimes a losing battle, mama. We’re all just doing our best!)

Shower, Brush Teeth, and Hair.

Hygiene is important, and instilling these habits into our children will set them up for a healthy life. (Even if they don’t appreciate it right now!)

Eat Breakfast.

Start off the day with a healthy breakfast to get our metabolisms rolling and the brain juices flowing for work and school!

Gather Everything You for the Day Ahead.

Whether you are leaving the house for school, or just settling into schoolwork at home, there are certain things that you and your children will need. Getting them all together helps you flow from one activity to the next more easily.

Knock Out Some Chores.

Get those chores that can be done first thing out of the way by adding them to your morning routine! If you’re not sure what your kids can be doing, check out our last blog.

Shoes! 

I don’t know about you, but for me, shoes need to be part of the routine for my kids if we are leaving the house because they just do not feel the innate need to wear them outside. (Please tell me I’m not alone here!)

Now that we’ve gotten the morning routine basics covered... Are you a morning person? Are you a night owl?

These kinds of characteristics will determine how much you put into your family’s routine...especially if you have some night owl children. 

Maybe some of the things need to be done the night before because you know your brain (or your kids’ brains) won’t be able to think well enough to not miss something in the am. This could be showering or gathering supplies or picking your outfit out for the next day.

Having a morning routine will get your kids off to a good start and allow everyone to focus on the amazingness of the day ahead! 

Also, having everything listed out for everyone to see makes it even easier to implement. Our Morning + Bedtime Routine Chart can help your little ones know what they need to do each day and give them the independence to check it themselves!  

Snag yours HERE!