Morning Routine: Rise and Shine (for back to school)

When there is no urgency to get out the door, it is easy to get out of our usual morning routine. Eating a leisurely breakfast followed by building a Lego castle dressed in pj’s is much more fun for all of us than combing hair, getting dressed, and out the door for preschool.

As reluctant as I may be to stop our leisurely mornings, the routine is key for us. When our routine is established, our mornings flow better. If the kids know that after breakfast, they will need to get ready for the day (including going to preschool), it doesn’t feel like as much of an intrusion. Building blocks will always be more fun than combing hair, but a clear routine lets kids know what to expect.

I created a chart as a visual reminder for my 4 year old to follow our morning routine. It’s simple – a word or two and a picture, in the order in which we do things in the morning. We put the chart into a plastic sleeve, put it on the refrigerator, and use a white board marker to mark off steps as we go. This way I also sneak a little writing practice in at the beginning of the day.

I’ve copied it above, and pasted a link below so that you can have a copy of your own. I used the Open ClipArt Library to create this chart, and you can easily search their database to tweak the schedule for your own needs.

Link - (go to file – download to get your own copy)

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