Mornings are often the most stressful moment of the day: everyone is in a hurry, sleepy, and there is a fixed time to leave. Telling them off and repeating instructions usually slows things down even more.

Get ready the night before

  • Lay out the clothes and leave the school bag by the door.
  • Decide on the mid-morning snack and get it ready.
  • Go to bed at a time that allows enough rest: a sleepy child cannot go fast.

A visible routine

Make a list together, with drawings or words, of the morning steps, always in the same order: get up, get dressed, have breakfast, brush teeth, put on shoes. The child checks the list and we stop being a talking alarm clock.

During the morning

  • Give one instruction at a time, from close by and in a calm tone.
  • Duties first, then play. Screens, if any, once everything is done.
  • Use a clock or a song to mark the time instead of reminding them over and over.
  • Praise what goes well. “Today you got dressed all by yourself before the alarm went off”.

If you still don't make it

Get up ten minutes earlier and simplify: fewer clothing options, a simpler breakfast. And look at what you can let them do on their own, even if it isn't perfect.