This post was written by one of our favorite moms, Seng Nickerson, and is shared from her blog here.
As summer winds down, we all know it’s time to prep the kids for the return to the back to school routine. At the beginning of summer, everyone is filled with excitement for soaking in those summer rays. As the summer winds down, parents and kids alike are yearning for the return of schedules and routines!
However, what I’m not excited about is trying to remind the kids to pack their homework, lunches and the other supplies for activities teachers add for the week. Not to mention, I have two toddlers going to daycare, so making sure they have a supply of diapers, wipes and their blankets are also on my Monday morning checklist.
Here are some tips I have for improving our back to school morning routine to keep our mornings as simple and efficient as possible as well as teaching our kids skills like independence, prioritization and self-care.
Creating a Kanban board. I wrote all about it in the blog post linked. It helps structure our entire day, not just our mornings.
Cook and prepare breakfast before the kids wake up. I absolutely loathed the days when the kids woke up at 5:00am in the morning and I had no time to prepare. Obviously, kids under the age of 7 couldn’t tell time, so I found this amazing clock that turned colors that taught my kids when it was okay to come downstairs to start their day!
Pack lunches the night before. After the kids go to bed, I typically will pack the Bigs lunches with non-perishable items and add in the refrigerated ones in the morning. I typically pack a sandwich, fruit cup, celery sticks and granola bars, like delicious Jif® Power Ups™ to satiate their hungry tummies during lunch! Jif® Power Ups™ creamy clusters and granola bars come in a variety of flavors for each of my kids’ palates and it provides amazing fuel to help them power through their day of mental toughness.
Use Alexa, Google Home or Apple iPod for milestone music markers. Most kids LOVE routine, so why not add a new morning tradition of playing certain music that provides the crescendo on where they should be with their morning routine? When we get to Paw Patrol theme music, that means that my little boy should have his shoes already on. When we start playing the soundtrack to Annie, the girls know that they should have their bags packed.
Bedtime routine. Get them to bed early if you want to start a great morning routine!
I cannot believe that I have two Bigs already in primary school and am preparing my two Littles to almost start. It’s like time is flying before my eyes. They’ll be graduating before I know it. This was the last day of school this year! Sigh.
This post was sponsored by Jif® Power Ups™. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that I love that help make my blog possible!
Seng is a modern, working mom sharing her love for her family, home renovations, product reviews, home management/organizational tips, fun DIY craft projects, and digital scrapbooking. By sharing her life experiences through her blog, she is able to inspire others to also balance parenthood, goal setting in their careers, and pursuing their hobbies. Read more about Seng on her blog, Sengerson.com.
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