10 Tips to Make Your Morning School Routine Easier

Are you ready to jump back into your kid’s morning routine for school?

I don’t blame you if you’re not. I am not a morning person and since I don’t drink coffee I have to push extra hard through the tired.

Taking steps to make my morning routine easier benefits not only me, but the whole family.

It’s always nice when I have mornings where I actually have time to run a brush through my hair instead of throwing it into a messy bun that I hope looks semi-okay.

Here are some tips that get me to those easy mornings. I hope they can help make your morning routines easier too!

(This post contains affiliate links. However, all content is my own.)

10 Tips to Make Your Morning School Routine Easier

1. Prep Everything 

Last year I slacked off on the morning prep. It was harder with a baby in the house to get it all done the night before and I would always pay for it the next morning.

When I do prep my morning routine is so much easier and it’s my goal this year to get my nightly prepping down.

Spending even 10 minutes a night on prep can improve your morning routine greatly.

Here are some ways you can prep for your morning routine.

• Pack lunches the night before. Have easy to pack lunches ready for the days you miss out on prepping. I love Uncrustables, Cheese Sticks, and GoGurts for these days. Just throw it in the lunchbox and you’re ready to go.
• Prep outfits for the week. If you have a younger child you can pick out the outfits and fold them next to their bed or in a designated area each night. If your child is older and likes to pick out their own clothes have them do this as a part of their bedtime routine.
• Have your child’s homework and school papers ready to go for the next morning. I can’t tell you how many times we ran 5 minutes late to school because I had to fill out a field trip form I had put off the night before.
• Don’t forget to have your freezer packs or freezable lunch bags in the freezer for the next morning.

2. Organize Things You Will Need In The Morning

Have a place for backpacks, shoes, and jackets. We have baskets for shoes by our doorway and a stick on hook in my son’s room for his jacket and backpack.

Don’t forget your keys and purse. I’m guilty of losing my keys a lot. Putting them in the same place close to the front door helps. It saves so much time when you aren’t searching for these things!

3. Go to Bed Early!

We have an early bedtime at our house. It’s partly so our kids can get all the sleep they need, but also so my husband and I can have some time to catch up on our favorite shows before we go to sleep.

Our kids are in bed by 7:30 most every night and I try to be asleep by 9:30 or 10:00pm on a school night. This makes it easy to wake up in the morning refreshed from a good night’s sleep!

Download your FREE Back to School Morning Prep Checklist Printable!4. Make Your Alarm Fail Proof

Have you ever been late anywhere because your alarm just didn’t go off?

That has definitely happened to me on more than one occasion. Now we set 2 alarms in our room so we know at least one of them has to go off. I even set my alarm for 2 different times just in case I accidentally turn it off when I meant to hit the snooze.

Get your kids an alarm too, so they can get up. Our son sleeps like the dead, but anything that helps wake him up helps us move more quickly in the morning.

5. Have a Happy Attitude

It’s easy to roll out of bed as a grumpy momma. But, try to rise above the sleepiness and have a happy attitude.

If there is one thing I’ve learned about being a mom, it’s that your mood rubs off on your kids. If you are happy getting ready than they are more likely to get ready in a cheerful mood too.

6. Get Ready After Breakfast

Have your kids get dressed and ready after breakfast. We’ve had to start this process all over again due to spilled milk at breakfast. Getting ready after breakfast prevents accidents like this!

7. Offer a Simple Reward

Do your kids drag their feet when getting ready in the morning?

A simple reward might help. I offer a simple reward to speed things up!

If we are all ready and dressed in the morning, with time to spare, we get some cartoon time before we leave for school.

8. Make It Fun! 

My son gets in the car so fast whenever I tell him it’s a race between him and his sister. If he can buckle his seatbelt before I get her in her carseat he won. This gets us in the car and off to school fast!

9. Be Consistent 

Consistency is a big one in everything we do. If we are consistent in our morning routine it goes more quickly and easily.

The kids know what to expect when we wake up in the morning and are ready to do what we need to do without too many complaints.

10. Get Your Errands Done After Drop Off

You are already dressed and in the car, if you are like me with baby in tow. So, why not get your errands done now.

I make my grocery shopping apart of my morning routine. It saves me time and gas because we are already in the car and ready. This also helps wear the baby out so she can go down for an easy nap when we get home.

How do you get your kids out the door each morning? What makes your morning routine easier? I would love to hear from you in the comments below! 

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