Are you always in a rush in the mornings on school days trying to make sure that everyone gets ready on time?

Do you make the school bus wait or drop your children to school past the time? Do things, whether it’s your child’s school work, her PE kit or music instrument, tend to be forgotten at home?

This moment of the day might be short, but I know it can be quite intense and charged with crankiness and low patience-level in many families. So let me share five practical tips to make your morning a great start to your day.

#1 Plan Lunch Boxes And Snacks Ahead

Investing time on the weekend to plan the family meals for the week ahead will save you time and stress in the morning on weekdays. Because you’ll know what to cook or pack, in all likelihood you’ll have bought the ingredients you need beforehand and you’ll feel confident that you’re feeding proper food to your children.

#2 Prepare The Night Before

Anticipate all you can the night before. Even small tasks end up adding up. You’ll be more efficient if you execute these tasks without the pressure of the clock running and the crankiness of your children (or yours!).

In the morning, you’ll just have to complete the bags with items that couldn’t have been added the night before such as your handphone, the lunch boxes and the snacks.

#3 Consolidate All That’s Needed In One Place

Allocate a place for each family member where she can consolidate all she needs to take along for the day ahead. I call this place a “launching pad”. Even if the bags are not packed in the evenings, at least you won’t have to search frantically around your home in the morning to gather what’s needed!

#4 Create Routines

Children, as adults, in fact, tend to do things with less resistance when they know what to expect, when. Having evening and morning routines can help save a lot of time. Write a list of tasks that need to be done in sequence with the time needed to complete each task. Make sure you come up with a realistic number. There’s no point indicating five minutes for breakfast if your child is a slow eater and needs 15 minutes.

Make sure there’s a clock visible so that the child can check she’s on time. For the younger kids unable to read the time, give them advanced notice e.g. “10 minutes before we leave”. Remove distractions such as TV and electronics in the morning if you want them to keep moving.

#5 Delegate

“It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.” Ann Landers

Get your child to contribute to tasks that are age appropriate. Make it her responsibility for example to gather her things. That’s where routines and checklists help.

If you have a child between 4 to 6 years old, you can use pictures instead of words for items that she needs to gather. Your child may actually see it as a game and with consistent practice, it’ll become a habit. Eventually, she’ll be able to pack her bag all by herself. Be patient, add responsibilities progressively and don’t expect perfection.

The tips above should help you not only be on time without rushing but also create a much more pleasant environment in the morning. You’ll be able to part with your loved ones on a more positive note instead of feelings of resentment and to better focus on the tasks at hand for the day.

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