Why A Morning Routine Before School Is Important For Your Children
Today we want to remind you how important it is for each family member to have their own morning routine. As a result, everyone will be able to start the new day rested and in a good mood.
To ensure that your children will have a good day at school, it is very important that they have a good morning routine. In today’s article we want to introduce you to some of the most common routines that will have a positive effect on the rest of the day.
Morning routine for your children: their own alarm clock
At the beginning of the school year (or on any other occasion) you can give your children their own alarm clock. This allows you to give them new responsibilities at the same time, because they can now wake up on their own and get ready in time.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that you leave them to their own devices and don’t care about them anymore. Most children still need a reminder (or several) before actually getting up. Still, having your own alarm clock is a first step in encouraging your children to be more responsible and autonomous.
If your children use their own alarm clock, you should spend a few weeks watching how well they are handling it. Often you still have to wake them up even though they have already turned off the alarm themselves. You should of course also make sure that they really get up, wash and get dressed, have breakfast, brush their teeth, etc.
Then, once the children get used to the alarm clock and set their own alarm time, you can let them sleep a little longer. However, you should make sure that they still have enough time to get dressed, have breakfast, pack their school supplies, and be ready for school in time.
Children who take the school bus to school should of course be at the bus stop on time. If you take your children to school by car, you have a little more flexibility in the morning.
Visualize the morning routine for your children
A very good way to remind your children of the morning routine is to hang them in a prominent place on a poster or chalkboard. Below we give you some tips on how you can design this for children of different ages.
Little children who can’t read yet
It is particularly recommended for small children that you show the morning routine with pictures. This gives children who cannot read yet a visual reminder of the tasks they need to do. Every time they finish a task, they can check it off. They will certainly have a lot of fun and will also increase their sense of achievement.
Below is a list of the images we suggest for each task:
- Put on: You can use pictures of a pair of pants, a t-shirt, socks, shoes, etc. to do this. If your child is wearing a school uniform, you can also use a photo of your child wearing the uniform.
- Breakfast: Use a picture that shows food.
- Brushing your teeth: You can use a picture that shows toothpaste and toothbrush.
- Packing a school bag: You can use a picture for this that shows a book bag, a breakfast box and other utensils that your child has to take to school every day. And here’s a little hint: If your children pack their school bags the night before, the next morning will be much more relaxed.
Bigger children who can already read
If your children are a bit older, then you don’t necessarily have to illustrate the morning routine with pictures. It is sufficient if you hang up a task list in several places in the apartment: in their room, in the bathroom, on the refrigerator, on the front door, etc. This means that your children do not have to go back to their room to see which task they can do have to do.
Having a healthy breakfast before school is very important
Nutritionists and doctors agree that having a good breakfast every morning is very important and has many benefits. Breakfast provides your children with the energy they need after a long night without eating. When children eat a good breakfast, they can concentrate much better in school.
However, it can sometimes happen that your children do not want to have a substantial breakfast in the morning. In this case, find healthy alternatives that can help ensure that your children are getting all of the nutrients they need. You can let your creativity run free and thereby stimulate their appetite.
Establishing and maintaining a good morning routine is very important to best prepare your children for the busy school day. Plus, once you get started, this routine is also fun to follow. In fact, it will make life for the entire family easier if every family member has a set routine.
In addition, routines are always very useful and helpful. A healthy morning routine will help children learn to organize themselves. You will get to school on time and you will not have to think about what to do in the morning. After a while you will get used to it and do the morning routine automatically. So it becomes part of your daily routine.
