School mornings are often the most stressful part of the day. You need to make sure that everyone brushes their teeth, gets some food and is ready to go out the door at a certain time, and you’re not always dealing with happy campers. If you want to improve the efficiency of your family’s morning on school days, here are three great ways to do it.
Establish a Morning Routine
The best way to get things done efficiently is coming up with a game plan first. If you just wing it, you’ll be bouncing from room to room aimlessly, and you’ll be more likely to forget things.
You and your kids should each have your own set routines to go through every morning. This will keep you all on track. For example, you could have your kids shower and brush their teeth from 6 to 6:30, get dressed from 6:30 to 6:45, eat breakfast from 6:45 to 7:00, and be ready to head out the door by 7:15. As you make your morning routine, see what you can prepare the night before, such as lunches and outfits for the day, to make the next morning easier.
Make Sure There Aren’t Any Plumbing Problems
You don’t want your best-laid plans to go to waste because there’s no hot water, and your kids don’t want to take their showers anymore. If you’re concerned about any potential plumbing problems, make sure you call a plumber like Rapid First Plumbing to check out your home and help in any way they can.
Depending on how busy the bathrooms get every morning, you may even want to consider having another bathroom added to your home. More space for everyone to do their hair and brush their teeth always helps.
Stay Cool, Calm and Collected
Your kids know when you’re stressed, and that will only cause them to stress out, as well, making it even harder to get them through their morning routine. Even if you’re running a bit late, don’t let it get to you. Focus on moving things forward as best you can.
You may want to try waking up 15 to 30 minutes before your kids. This gives you time to start your day and mentally prepare before they get up.
Proper preparation and taking the right approach to those school mornings can make all the difference. When you follow the tips listed above, you and your kids will leave home on time and ready for productive days.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.