When school starts back up in the fall, life gets busy. Mornings are often one of the most hectic times of the day, and it can be difficult to coordinate schedules and ensure that all of the kids have everything that they need. But there are also plenty of techniques that you can use to make mornings go more smoothly, and here are four of the easiest ones that will make a big impact on how easily you get the kids to school on time with everything that they need.
Prepare the Night Before
One of the most impactful ways of reducing the stress that everyone feels in the morning is to get as much ready the night before as you can. This includes having the kids take showers or baths, preparing the lunches, and picking out full outfits the night before. These activities can take several minutes to more than an hour to complete, especially if you have multiple children. But you’ll feel much more prepared if you have everything ready to go the night before.
Park the Car in the Garage
It’s incredibly stressful when you’re running late already and realize that it snowed the night before. Someone needs to brush the snow off the car and defrost the windows before you can go anywhere. Plus, you also need to allow even more time for the car to warm up before you go anywhere. You can save yourself a lot of headache by parking your car in the garage. In the morning, all you’ll need to do is push the garage door opener button, then you’ll be on your way.
Make Sure Everyone Gets Enough Sleep
Everyone needs to get their rest, and children can become more difficult to wake up if they’re still tired when it’s time to get up. You can make getting your children and teenagers out of bed much easier if you make sure that they get to bed on time the night before.
Have a Checklist
If you’ve ever had your child suddenly realize as you were driving down the road that they forgot a piece of homework or their soccer cleats, you know how that can completely throw off even the most carefully planned morning. Have a list that your child checks through before you leave to make sure that they have everything that they need.
Mornings can be a challenge for anyone, but children can make them especially difficult. Make a few adjustments so that you have everything that you need to make the morning go as smoothly as possible.