Welcome to this week of Organizing 101 with all of us bloggers, if you haven't seen the other organizing ideas, you are missing out! I'm going to share about morning schedules with you here and then you can go back and check out the other ladies when you finish here!
It is NO secret that I'm a big fan of schedules - BIG! They can help your mornings run much more smoothly if you have a plan - I realize that sometimes things come up that mess up your plan, but it's always good to try to be organized and scheduled with the kids in the morning.
You can see, above, that I put a basic schedule for my daughter of the basics of what needs to be done. She's now in third grade and pretty much knows what is expected in the morning. The kids aren't even allowed to have breakfast until they are dressed, beds made, and they've gone potty. Trust me, if I let them stay in pajamas to eat, it's a disaster. So, for us, this works best. I've explained even more HERE on what else we don't allow in the morning, just to make sure we get out the door in time.
For my son, he's older and I don't have a hard time with him in the morning any more, so this basic chore chart is just a guideline for him to remember what things are on what day. He does well in the morning, so doing his chores before school is fine. Some kids don't function as well.
If you have kids that go to school or are home-schooled, come up with a plan for your morning. The first thing you need to do: figure out what time you MUST leave for school each day {or be ready to start school from home}. Then, work your way backwards, giving them plenty of time to do things. We need to leave by 8:15 {for my daughter--my son walks to middle school}. So, I give her a reasonable amount of time to do all her tasks - and she's a slow one, too. She {especially at her age now} is able to achieve this just about every morning.
We set up our lunch stuff that's organized, also. They make their own lunches each day. They've been doing that since they were in first grade so it's not a big deal. I make all their sandwiches on Sunday night and they just grab them out of the fridge each day to take to in their lunches.
How do I make these chore charts? I get asked this all the time. So, I actually have an whole tutorial on how to make one with a Publishing program OR you can make one with Picmonkey.com which is free and easy, too.
Here are seven ways to keep things running smoothly in the morning:
1. Be patient and loving with your kids, actually TEACH them how to do their chores. Don't tell them the chore and expect them to figure it out - you will both be frustrated. Take time to show them how to do it and don't expect a 2 year old to do something that he/she isn't ready to do. Also, DO expect an 8 year old to be able to wash dishes and put them in the dishwasher, etc. {but teach first} - can I tell you how many comments I get that people think their kids can't do stuff like this? Expect more from them and they really can do it! For a list of age appropriate chores, go HERE.
2. Be calm and loving - don't expect them to get it the first time. It will take doing this with them over and over {if they are little} before they can do it by themselves.
3. Keep them moving but give them plenty of time to finish the task. For instance, brush teeth and hair should only take 5 minutes, but you schedule 10 minutes! This way, you give them a generous amount of time but still expect it done in the allotted time.
4. No TV in the morning. It just doesn't work if you want to get out the door in time - for all kinds of reasons.
5. Having a schedule or set routine always helps them know what to expect.
6. Get them up at the same time every day, and keep a consistent bedtime.
7. Don't expect perfection, especially with little ones. If their bed isn't perfect, it's okay. BUT, if you've seen they can make it well but are being lazy, that's different.
I sure hope this helps you get you and your kids through your mornings!
Did you miss out on any of the days this week? Here's how you can catch up:
Beth from Free Stylin on Menu Planning
Karah from The Space Between on Time Planning
Allison from House of Hepworths on School Lunches
Jamie from C.R.A.F.T. on Organizing Your Blog
It is NO secret that I'm a big fan of schedules - BIG! They can help your mornings run much more smoothly if you have a plan - I realize that sometimes things come up that mess up your plan, but it's always good to try to be organized and scheduled with the kids in the morning.
You can see, above, that I put a basic schedule for my daughter of the basics of what needs to be done. She's now in third grade and pretty much knows what is expected in the morning. The kids aren't even allowed to have breakfast until they are dressed, beds made, and they've gone potty. Trust me, if I let them stay in pajamas to eat, it's a disaster. So, for us, this works best. I've explained even more HERE on what else we don't allow in the morning, just to make sure we get out the door in time.
For my son, he's older and I don't have a hard time with him in the morning any more, so this basic chore chart is just a guideline for him to remember what things are on what day. He does well in the morning, so doing his chores before school is fine. Some kids don't function as well.
If you have kids that go to school or are home-schooled, come up with a plan for your morning. The first thing you need to do: figure out what time you MUST leave for school each day {or be ready to start school from home}. Then, work your way backwards, giving them plenty of time to do things. We need to leave by 8:15 {for my daughter--my son walks to middle school}. So, I give her a reasonable amount of time to do all her tasks - and she's a slow one, too. She {especially at her age now} is able to achieve this just about every morning.
We set up our lunch stuff that's organized, also. They make their own lunches each day. They've been doing that since they were in first grade so it's not a big deal. I make all their sandwiches on Sunday night and they just grab them out of the fridge each day to take to in their lunches.
How do I make these chore charts? I get asked this all the time. So, I actually have an whole tutorial on how to make one with a Publishing program OR you can make one with Picmonkey.com which is free and easy, too.
Here are seven ways to keep things running smoothly in the morning:
1. Be patient and loving with your kids, actually TEACH them how to do their chores. Don't tell them the chore and expect them to figure it out - you will both be frustrated. Take time to show them how to do it and don't expect a 2 year old to do something that he/she isn't ready to do. Also, DO expect an 8 year old to be able to wash dishes and put them in the dishwasher, etc. {but teach first} - can I tell you how many comments I get that people think their kids can't do stuff like this? Expect more from them and they really can do it! For a list of age appropriate chores, go HERE.
2. Be calm and loving - don't expect them to get it the first time. It will take doing this with them over and over {if they are little} before they can do it by themselves.
3. Keep them moving but give them plenty of time to finish the task. For instance, brush teeth and hair should only take 5 minutes, but you schedule 10 minutes! This way, you give them a generous amount of time but still expect it done in the allotted time.
4. No TV in the morning. It just doesn't work if you want to get out the door in time - for all kinds of reasons.
5. Having a schedule or set routine always helps them know what to expect.
6. Get them up at the same time every day, and keep a consistent bedtime.
7. Don't expect perfection, especially with little ones. If their bed isn't perfect, it's okay. BUT, if you've seen they can make it well but are being lazy, that's different.
I sure hope this helps you get you and your kids through your mornings!
Did you miss out on any of the days this week? Here's how you can catch up:
Beth from Free Stylin on Menu Planning
Karah from The Space Between on Time Planning
Allison from House of Hepworths on School Lunches
Jamie from C.R.A.F.T. on Organizing Your Blog
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Parties:
Tater Tots and Jello
A Bowl Full of Lemons
