8 tips to create a morning routine for kids

Last Updated on November 6, 2024

Mornings often set the tone for the rest of your day, so if you don’t have a morning routine for kids in place, your mornings can turn from calm to chaotic very fast, making the rest of your day hard to get through.

Here are 8 tips that you can pick and choose from that will make your mornings run much more smoother.

Why is a morning routine for kids important?

There are many reasons why having a routine is important, for kids, routines provide structure, predictability, and the knowledge of what’s expected of them, allowing them to start their day less anxious and stressed.

Routines also teach kids independence and responsibility, which are fantastic tools for them to take into adulthood.

Here are 8 things that you can try when starting your own morning routine for your kids.

Slowly build a routine

Routines take time to get used to, and the more steps there are in your morning routine, the longer it may take your kids to get through it.

One way that you can introduce a morning routine in your home is to slowly build a routine, by introducing your kids to the next step in the routine once the previous step is mastered.

For example, you may start by getting your kids to brush their teeth, then once mastered getting them to brush their teeth then make their bed.

After they can brush their teeth and then make their bed, you can introduce them to the next step in the routine, and continue building upon the morning routine until they can do the whole routine on their own.

Make a kids morning checklist

The best way to remind your kids of what their morning routine involves is to make a kids morning checklist, which shows everything that needs to be done in the morning in order for everyone get out the door on time.

This can be a piece of paper displayed somewhere they can see listing every step of their routine that they can tick off once done.

You can write each step, or if you have younger kids have pictures of each step.

Some things you may like to include on your kids morning checklist are:

• Brush hair
• Brush teeth
• Wash face
• Get dressed
• Eat breakfast
• Put shoes on
• Put lunchbox in school bag
• Go to the toilet

Kids love being able to tick things off checklists, as it gives them a sense of accomplishment, which could be just what’s needed for them to want to finish their morning routine each day.

Prepare the night before

Preparing for the morning the night before is my favourite way to tackle my family’s morning routine.

Preparing the night before means getting as much done for the next day as possible, including things such as:

• Emptying school bags
• Packing school bags for the next day, including completing and packing school paperwork, homework, and reading books
• Placing school bags in their dedicated school bag storage area
• Getting breakfast items ready
• Making and packing school lunches and school lunchbox snacks
• Filling up water bottles
• Laying out clothes for the next day
• Getting the kids in a bath or shower
• Making sure the kids know what’s happening the next day so they’re prepared

Have a consistent bedtime

We all know that when our kids don’t have enough sleep, they’re cranky and moody, which can make getting them moving in the morning hard.

According to KidsHealth, kids aged 3-5 years need 10-13 hours of sleep including naps, and kids aged 6-13 need 9-12 hours including naps.

Some of the ways that you can help your kids get the sleep they need so they can perform at their best the next morning include:

• Having the same bedtime and wake up times every day, including weekends
• Getting your kids to wind down before bed by taking a bath or shower, reading, listening to quiet music, or meditating

Wake up before your kids

Waking up before your kids isn’t always the advice that mums want to hear, especially if you have kids that wake during the night.

However, waking up before your kids is a great way to start the day, and is something I do as often as I can, even if I really struggle to.

Doing so gives you some much needed time to yourself, which you can use to ease into your day, or get ready in peace, which lowers your stress for what may or may not happen once everyone’s awake.

Make breakfast easy

Breakfast is important, but this doesn’t mean that you have to add extra pressure on yourself to make the best breakfast ever.

Something you can do to make your kids morning routine easy is to keep breakfast really simple during the week. For me, this means giving my boys the same cereal every morning, because I know they’ll eat it.

Some easy breakfasts you can try include:

• Hard boiled or scrambled eggs with toast
• Yogurt and fruit
• Oatmeal
• Pre made pancakes or waffles
• Smoothies

Set timelines or timers

Setting timelines or timers for the amount of time each step in your morning routine needs to be helps to keep your morning routine on track.

For example, if you need to leave home at 820am, decide how long you need for each step leading up to this time, and make sure the dedicated time is adhered to.

So, if you need to leave home at 8.20, you may decide that your kids need to wake up by 7.00, brushing teeth needs to finish by 7.20, breakfast needs to finish by 7.50, getting dressed needs to finish by 8.10, and everyone needs to be out the door at 8.20.

Think about providing incentives

Whether we like it or not, sometimes we need to give our kids an incentive to do things, especially on days where the school run feels hard.

This may mean promising extra reading time before bed, playing a game they love after school, or extra screen time on the weekend.

Creating a morning routine for kids goes a long way to making your mornings run smoother, as well teaching your kids valuable skills that they can take into adulthood.

If you’d like to start a morning routine, one of the best things you can do is to start with one thing and build on it overtime, or perhaps make a kids morning routine checklist where your kids can tick off each step once done.

You can also prepare as much as possible the night before, introduce consistent bedtimes, wake up before your kids, or make the same breakfast every weekday.

Another fantastic way to keep your morning plan intact is to set timelines or timers for when each step of your kids morning routine needs to be done, or think of some incentives that will motivate your kids on mornings where no one is cooperating.

What do you struggle with in the mornings with your kids?