Mornings Made Easy
Unfortunately I am not a morning person, but I have to be up so I might as well make the most of it. In the past few years I’ve learned that mornings are the most important time to choose your battles wisely and let some of the little stuff go. For example, I like for my son to have juice that is actually juice not something posing as juice, but my son would prefer the fake stuff. To combat this I have made popsicles out of real juice. Its simple and easy and my son thinks he is getting a really special treat in the morning.
We have concocted a fairly easy system for getting up and ready with minimal complications. It revolves around two basic concepts as follows; Having a wake up routine and teamwork. Children love teamwork, they love to feel a part of something and it helps them to gain a sense of accomplishment and self worth. My son loves to help with his little sister. He thinks he is the biggest boy ever when he picks out his own clothes (another battle which I often choose not to take on), see Fostering Creativity with Fashion in the Awesome Activities page.
Try making a list of the morning tasks your child needs to complete to get ready for school. Be specific so that the expectations are clear to your child. If you want your child to wake up on their own using an alarm clock, be specific and include your expectations in your list.
Example:
Wake Up from Alarm Clock
Make Bed
Get Dressed
Eat Breakfast
Put Plates in Sink
Comb Hair
Brush Teeth
Get Backpack
Leave for School
You can make creating a chart for each child a fun process. Create it out of a large poster board or piece of scrap cardboard and let it be something that you set the guidelines for but they create. Have them clip out pictures from magazines or draw pictures that suit each task.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Agee! Mornings can be such a challenge at times. I use to have a coworker that talked of setting out her clothes out on Sunday for the entire work week, to me that was pure insanity! But insane she was not. Though I do not see myself doing that for me, it has made my mornings a breeze now that I do it for my children. Well my son in 9 and he now does it for himself, and daughter she will be 3 in two days so I do it for her. The fun part for her is picking which outfit she gets to pick which one she wants to wear. I even set out 7 sets so that she still gets a choice by the time friday comes around!
ReplyDelete