Getting back into the swing of school mornings can be a tough challenge for most families. Waking everyone up, preparing breakfast and getting to the kids to school while making it to work on time can be a recipe for stress.
As parents, it can take an incredible amount of effort and patience to co-ordinate the madness while keeping your cool. Throw in a curl ball like missing items or siblings arguing and your day can be thrown into a frenzy before it even gets started.
Don’t let stress get the better of you and stand in the way of starting your day the right way. We’ve put together 5 tips for tackling back-to-school morning madness to help you limit the mayhem.
1. Set a Routine to Break the Stress Cycle
Let’s face it — it’s easy for parents to lose their temper under the pressure of the morning rush. But a strategy called ‘When-Then Routines’ can help in keeping your kids motivated to get everything done in the morning-even ‘yucky’ stuff like brushing teeth and getting dressed. It structures your morning so that all the not-so-fun tasks are completed before the most desirable part of the morning, like breakfast (or playtime, TV time, etc.).
You can create your family’s When-Then routine, which might sound something like this: “When you’re dressed, your hair is combed, the bed is made, and your backpack and lunch box are by the door, then breakfast will be served – but remember, the kitchen closes at 7:45!” If your kids show up to the table in pajamas with their hair a mess, you can smile and calmly say, “When everything in your morning routine is finished, then we’ll have breakfast.” Then walk away so you’re not available for whining or negotiating.
2. Give your Child Responsibilities
Make it their job – not yours — to get through the routine on time. Give your child a checklist (in pictures or words) and let her manage it. Kids as young as four can wake up with an alarm clock and do a routine.
Remember, you’ve structured your When-Then routine to motivate your child to get the yucky stuff done. If they dawdle through the morning routine, they may not have time for breakfast or playtime. But don’t worry. They won’t starve to death if they miss breakfast, but they will be motivated to get through the routine quickly the next morning. Putting your child in charge of the routine without nagging, reminding and yelling from you will yield much better results and give her a sense of independence and accomplishment.
Tempted to give your kids a reward for getting through the morning routine? Don’t. That’s like sending your kids a message saying “I have absolutely no confidence whatsoever that you would ever be able to get through the morning routine on your own unless I give you a reward/bribe to do it.”
3. Start the Day with a Quick & Healthy Breakfast
Quick and healthy can be used in the same sentence – these meals can fuel your kids’ bodies and minds and give you some peace of mind:
- A sandwich of rice cakes (or a whole wheat bagel or tortilla) with a thick layer of peanut butter, and all-fruit jam or sliced bananas in the middle
- A bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, or a whole grain muffin with melted Cheddar cheese
- Hard-boiled eggs alone, or diced and mixed with cubed and buttered toast or cheese.
- Yogurt with dry cereal or granola, and/or fruit, or even instant oatmeal mixed in.
- Breakfast smoothies: Store the unblended smoothie (made with yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, and juice, or peanut butter, banana, milk and chocolate syrup) in the refrigerator overnight, and blend it in the morning.
4. Check Your Stress Levels
Remember, studies show that kids pick up on parents’ stress, so try to keep yours in check to give them a strong start to the day. If kids pick up on you soaring stress levels, they could head to school feeling sad, worried, frustrated, annoyed or helpless.
5. Make Space for Your Things Too
Parents spend a lot of time designating spots for their children’s things like backpacks, shoes and lunchboxes, but critical things they need to get out of the house go missing! Decide on a place to keep your car keys, purse, and papers you need to take to the office – and keep them there.
The night before, grab a post-it and write yourself a note near your coffeepot or purse to grab a snack for yourself, too. You’re going to need your energy when you get home at the end of the day and prepare to do it all again tomorrow.
