5 ways to make the school run less stressful

Last Updated on November 8, 2024

There are so many things that have to get done before the school run, which means that if one little thing goes wrong, or something is forgotten or lost, the school run becomes stressful very quickly.

However, with a few small tweaks to your morning routine, and a little bit of organisation, the school run can actually run smoothly.

Here are 5 ways to make the school run less stressful.

Get organised the night before

Getting organised as much as you can the night before is a great way to make the school run less stressful.

Some of the ways that you can do this include:

• Pre packing lunchbox snacks
• Making kids school lunches, filling up their water bottles, and putting them in the fridge ready to pack the next day
• Putting uniforms in the living room
• Placing school shoes and coats at the front door
• Putting PE kits, school trip money, and homework into school bags

Get ready first

Getting up before your kids and using this time to get ready, means that you can do so without multiple interruptions, and you can even start your day more calmly.

Keep breakfast simple

Keeping breakfast simple by limiting choice is a great way to lessen the school run stress, as well as get out of the door on time.

You can do this by giving your kids the same breakfast every weekday, which means you don’t waste time thinking about what to feed them, they don’t spend time thinking about what they want, and you won’t be making different breakfasts for different kids.

Stick to timelines

One of the best ways that I make the school run less stressful is setting timelines.

I do this by knowing what time we have to leave the house, and then making sure each part of our morning is finished by this time.

For example, if you need to leave home at 830am, you can do so by making sure the following tasks are finished by their set times:

• Wake kids up 7.00am
• Breakfast finish at 7.30am
• Brush teeth by 7.40am
• Finish getting dressed by 8.25am
• Leave 830am

You can set alarms for each of these tasks to make sure the timelines are met, or you can keep your eye on the time and make sure breakfast is finished by your set time.

School bag storage

Putting school bags in a dedicated school bag storage area, ideally near your front door, allows you to grab them on your way out of the house, instead of having to look for them the morning you need them, which saves a lot of time and energy.

Making small changes to your nights, or mornings, will make the school run less stressful, so everyone leaves home more motivated to tackle their day.

What stress would you like to get rid of in the morning?