Routines to Make your Mornings Easier

Routines to make mornings easier can help both children and adults have positive and harmonious days. Learn how!

Reviewed and approved by the teacher Samanta Ruiz.

Written by Samanta Ruiz

Last update: 16 December, 2022

Starting the day with energy, but also with tranquility and without rushing is possible if you manage to get organized in time. The goal is to establish routines that make your mornings easier with your children and for everything to flow harmoniously in the first hours of the day. Below, we’ll share some tips to overcome the challenges of the morning and make it a time with enough dynamism to start the day, but with the right calm to do it without surprises or conflicts.

Easier mornings, more productive days

Morning routines start the day before. It’s best to go to bed early and leave everything ready for the next morning, both for adults and children. Here’s what the routines should be to make mornings easier.

Get up early

To have time for yourself, get up at least half an hour before the kids and get ready as if you were already going out. When they wake up, you can give them your full attention to help them with their things.

Schedule some extra time just in case

Even if everyone knows school or work start times well, stipulate a time to get up, but try to do it a few minutes earlier than necessary. With this small window of time, you’ll avoid rushing, feeling late, and becoming anxious. This way, you’ll avoid arguments, screaming, and crying.

Wake up your children with affection

Nobody likes to be woken up screaming! Well, neither do children. If you wake them up calmly and affectionately, you’ll get your little ones to wake up happy and cooperative. This attitude, as simple as it may seem, can make the difference between a calm and harmonious morning and a stressful one. In addition, if we start the day badly, it’s very likely that this discomfort will accompany us throughout the day.

Repeating the same routines every day

By establishing an order of activities and repeating them every day, children know exactly what to do. The positive thing about this is that it helps to foster their autonomy. In addition, after a while of repeating the routines, they’ll surely optimize the way of doing them and everything will flow much easier.

Establish a total time for the routine

It’s important to establish a time limit to perform all the steps in the routine. For example, no more than one hour from the time you get up to the time you leave the house. If this can’t be met, adjust schedules, go to bed earlier, and get up earlier.

Having breakfast as a family

Setting aside time to have a family breakfast and talk about what you’re going to do that day is a good option. This moment of communication helps children to organize themselves mentally while sharing a pleasant family moment.

Don’t turn on devices

A simple rule that helps the family get organized without distractions is to leave devices off until you’ve finished with all the routine tasks. These would be getting up, washing up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and getting things ready. All these activities should be the priority before looking at a screen.

Why are routines important for children?

For children, routines are the great computers of their lives, and, from this certainty, freedom is born. This was explained by the Viennese physician and educator Rudolph Dreikurs, who also explained that stimulating children’s abilities by example and cooperative behavior is more efficient than punishments and rewards. In this context, routines are presented as an opportunity to order the children’s day. In addition, they help with the following:

• Provide security: Routines give children more control over their environment and themselves, which leads to greater security in their relationships with other people.
• Encourage independence: When children automate their tasks in routines, they develop their skills and become more autonomous and self-confident.
• Stimulate responsibility: Organization and following a specific order to achieve a goal teaches children to meet deadlines and to be responsible with their tasks.

Other routines to make mornings easier

There are other actions that may or may not be routines, but that will help mornings run smoothly and carry over into the rest of the day’s activities.

Have a good morning mood

A sense of humor is essential because no matter how much planning you do, mornings can be unpredictable. A child who spills milk, a backpack whose zipper breaks, or a power outage can complicate a routine. However, if you set an example to your children to take everything with good humor, positive energy sets in and will accompany you for the rest of the day.

Achieve self-control

In just one hour, a morning routine concentrates emotions, rushes, and anxieties. Don’t let yourself be carried away by this seesaw and reflect calm for your kids so that they can remain calm. Your self-control will keep the atmosphere relaxed and everyone will cooperate as agreed.

Show respect and empathy

We all have good days and bad days. Your child may wake up whining or sluggish and seek your attention. Put yourself in their shoes, hug them, respect their emotions, and encourage them with positive words. This may only take a few minutes and the child will feel emotionally content, so they’ll be able to overcome this moment and then collaborate in the morning routine.

Greetings are key

Although it may seem obvious, saying good morning and giving a kiss before leaving for school are routines that should never be missing in a family. The love that’s transmitted with these gestures strengthens bonds with children and makes them feel protected and happy. Now that you know several routines, which ones are you going to apply?