7 Tips for a Smooth School Routine

How to do you foster independent children and still ensure your morning goes smoothly? Give your little ones tools for success. Show your kids that school and organization are important by creating a School Prep Zone that facilitates a morning routine. This quote dances in my mind:

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” {Maria Montessori} Tweet This

Yesterday we discussed how we set-up a School Prep Zone:
–Sturdy hooks for coats, jackets, and back packs.
–Cubicles or baskets for library books, lunch boxes, homework, gym shoes and more.

Click here for our 20 Top Picks,
a collection of adorable hooks and cublicles.

We all know that setting up the School Prep Zone is one thing, getting your child to use the area is another task!

I truly believe our job as parents is to raise independent and capable adults. This is a perfect opportunity to practice organization and responsibility.

Below are 7 tips for creating a successful routine:

• Create habits. Have your child immediately hang their coat & backpack in the prep zone when they come home each day. Use this as an opportunity to have your child show you projects and homework they’ve done at school.
• Use other activities as a reminder. Try to avoid harping on your child by asking, “Is your stuff for school ready yet?” too often. Instead wait for them to bring up opportunities to discuss it. Practice saying things like:
  –You’re welcome to watch TV after your school stuff is set for tomorrow.
  –You’re welcome to go to play with your friends after your school stuff is set for tomorrow.
  –You’re welcome to join us for dinner after your school stuff is set for tomorrow.
• Be consistent. Prep for the next day of school the afternoon or evening before, rather than the morning of. Consider setting an alarm on your phone. If the school stuff doesn’t get taken care of by the kids, you will have a reminder to check-in with them before bed time.
  
• Write a list together. Is your little one still missing items each day? Sit down and have *them* tell you what they need to have organized every night. Pop open MS Word and create a cheat sheet your child can use. Click here to see what our winter cheat sheet looks like (PDF). Simply create two columns on your Word doc, a few bullet points, copy & paste and voila!
• Keep calm. Ha. Those are words every parent likes to hear at 8:15am. Remember, this is why you have your child prep their back pack the night before. My daughter has a tendency to whine, “I don’t know how to [fill in the blank].” Try this phrase in return, “Show me what you would do first if you did know how to do it.” This is also a great time to default back to the the list you’ve written together. Tell your child, “Get as many of the items on the list done as possible and then come get me if you still need help.”
• Verbalize emotional benefits. Set a good example and talk to yourself about the benefits of being organized. This can feel awkward at first, but the technique works well. For example, if you take a weekly yoga class, pack your gear the night before and when you leave for class, say something on the lines of, “It feels nice to have all my gear set and not to be rushed.” The other day I found myself saying, “Boy, I hate prepping taxes. They’re not even due until April, but it will feel nice to know it is done and out of the way early.” {blah}
• Consider a reward. If your child cuts their prep time and reduces their morning whining, consider a reward. It can be something as simple as a sticker or something as adventurous as a quick hot cocoa from the drive through at Starbucks before school. Sometimes we get crazy and do pancakes and mini ice cream cones at McD’s!

Bonus Tip: One of the best ways to ensure your child utilizes the school prep zone is to get your child involved when designing the area:

• Starting from scratch? Click here for our 20 Top Picks, a collection of adorable hooks and cublicles. Have your child help you shop.
• Want to upcycle? Click here to see how we have our School Prep Zone set-up. Have your little one help find baskets and other useful items!
• Not sure how to give ownership of the project your child? Stop by tomorrow for additional tips!

What are mornings like at your house? What additional tips would you add to the list above? Let’s chat in the comments.

The best part of this approach is that it leaves more time in the morning for you to enjoy your children. A calm morning allows you to create and savor moments like the ones showcased below.

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