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Tips to Make Mornings Easier


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Tips to Make Mornings Easier

Just 10 minutes spent getting organized at night can make a huge difference in how fast your family gets out the door in the morning--and in family members' moods. Using an upbeat attitude, inspire your family team to work together to make mornings easier.

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A week or so before school starts, make a list of all the pieces of information you will need for completing school forms and permission slips: names, addresses and telephone numbers of doctors and dentists; Social Security numbers; parents' work phones, pagers and cell-phone numbers; and emergency contact names and numbers. Keep this list in the computer, so updates are easy. When forms come home you'll have all the information you need at your fingertips. Designate one place for your kids to put any forms or papers needed by the next morning. It could be a basket on the kitchen counter, an in-bin on your desk or a brightly colored folder. Make it a habit to check each night, complete any forms and put them in the appropriate backpack so they can be returned the following day.
Lay out school clothes the night before to eliminate arguments and missing items in the morning. Limit choices for younger children by letting them choose one of two alternatives: "Do you want your baseball shirt or green one?"
Put homework, books, projects, lunch money and signed permission slips into your child's backpack the night before. This eliminates those last-minute searches for homework as the bus is coming down the street. Older children should be responsible for their own backpacks, homework, etc.
Have one spot where everything needed for the day is placed the night before. At our house, this "launch pad" is beside the back door and it made finding things easy. Whenever the kids asked, "Where's my ___?" I replied, "Try the launch pad!"
Set some morning rules, such as no eating or TV before getting dressed. Older kids may need to organize a bathroom schedule.
Have one major family calendar. Make sure that everyone writes school field trips, birthday parties, meetings, the due date for projects, and special events on this calendar. Check the calendar every morning. Remind your children of that day's dental appointments, orchestra practice or scout meetings, etc., as well as who will be picking them up or how they will be getting home.
Plan ahead for lunches. Figuring out what goes into a lunch box is half the battle, and involving your child in the decision will help ensure he or she eats what is in the box. Make a skeleton weekly menu: cheese on Monday, tuna on Tuesday, PB&J on Wednesday. Place lunch ingredients in one spot so even the youngest child can help. Try packing lunches the night before. Make a habit of slipping a little love note or affirmation into the lunch box every few days.
Try to keep a sense of humor even if someone wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. If your child leaves the house in a sour frame of mind, chances are that his mood won't improve at school, so set a pleasant, upbeat mood.

Author Peggy Middendorf is editor of Atlanta Parent Magazine.