If one of the things you enjoy the most about school holidays is a break from the chaotic mornings trying to get your kids ready and out of the door on time for school, you might not be looking forward to the upcoming return to school! After a long break, even the most organised families can find the first couple of weeks difficult to adjust to the fast-paced mornings after a summer of later bedtimes and longer sleep-ins.

Here’s some tips for creating a back-to-school routine that takes the stress out of getting kids ready in the morning.

Start Early with a Consistent Sleep Schedule

If you only take onboard one tip from this list, make it this one! We’ve covered why you should begin adjusting bedtimes and wake up times at least two weeks before school starts previously, because it’s crucial that kids get enough sleep to power them through a busy school day. By not ensuring your child has a consistent sleep schedule you are setting yourself up to bear the brunt of tired tantrums and moody meltdowns! A well-rested child is much more able to listen, learn, and interact positively with peers too. So start bringing that bedtime forward now!

Create a Morning Checklist

A visual checklist that you can hang somewhere central in the home for your child to refer to is a great way to help them stay on task. Many parents find it a sanity saver as it also saves you from repeating yourself, over, and over, morning after morning, like a broken record, until the end of time…or at least until they leave school! Include tasks like brushing teeth, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and packing their school bag. Over time they’ll get the hang of it and won’t need to refer to the list or need prompting.

Plan Lunches and Snacks in Advance

Urgh, the dreaded lunch box! If you loathe deciding what to pack into your child’s lunchbox each day, and rushing to pack them each morning, preparing a weekly meal plan and prepacking lunches the night before can help to ease the morning routine. Involving your child in choosing healthy options can also encourage them to eat what you pack – not just take it out for the day and return it to you looking a bit worse-for-wear but untouched in the arvo!

Organise School Supplies Ahead of Time

Purchase and label all school supplies early and help your child to pack them into their pencil case, or school bag so they know where to find them when they need them.

Use a Family Calendar

A return to school means that your email inbox is about to get flooded once more with communication from the school about fees, fundraisers, incursions, excursions, events, extracurricular activities, and quite probably a public service announcement about an outbreak of head lice! It’s impossible to remember everything, so don’t even bother trying! Instead, get yourself a family calendar and write everything down. You can even colour code it with a different colour for each family member. This also means that the burden of responsibility is solely on you, and kids can see at a glance what they have on for the day.

Encourage Independence

Whilst it may seem like the quickest option to do everything for your kids so you can get away on time, it’s vital to teach kids to do things for themselves such as pack their bags or lay out their clothing the night before. Whilst it may take longer in the short-term, especially the first few times they try, by fostering independence in your child you’ll be minimising the morning chaos in the future. Trust us, future you with thank you for it!