How to make your kid’s school morning routine easier.

Getting kids off to school in the morning can be one of the most stressful things you do all day. Download the nightly checklist at the end of this post and make your school mornings easier!

THE BUS IS HERE!!!

Chloe frantically tied her shoes and pulled on her jacket, while Sophia was still trying to find socks. I think Chloe could have made it if she sprinted out the door right then, but it was pretty hopeless for Sophia. There was no way she was going to magically get on the bus when she wasn’t even sure where her lunchbox was.

This is exactly how things went at my house this morning.

Now, I make no secret of the fact that I am NOT a morning person, but generally things go much more smoothly in the mornings at our house because of one trick I have learned.

The reason this morning was so rushed and crazy was because I dropped the ball last night, and we didn’t do our usual nightly routine—our magical nightly routine that has the power to make school mornings calm.

Our nightly checklist makes school mornings easier.

Last night was a little crazy. The girls all had church activities until after 8:00, and I had to teach my Institute class until 8:30. By the time we were all home, it was well after 9:00 and it was past Sophia’s bedtime. Bria had homework she hadn’t finished yet, and Chloe was her usual distracted self.

But most of all I was exhausted. And because I was exhausted, I didn’t insist on our normal evening routine. And this morning we all paid for that omission.

Bria got up late and barely made it to early morning seminary on time. Chloe and Sophia both got up late and ran around gathering their things, packing their lunches, and finding their finished homework. Sophia was in the kitchen making a sandwich when The Maestro starting reading morning scripture—she says she listened, but it certainly wasn’t an ideal way to begin the morning.

Preparing the night before is the secret to calm school mornings.

It may seem obvious, but too many times I have thought I could just save a few of the items until morning and it would be fine. But it is never fine when I do that. It adds stress and we yell and rush around and almost always miss the bus.

What’s on our nightly checklist?

Here are the things we do each night to ensure our mornings run smoothly:

Do all homework and place in folders.
Put folders in backpack.
Pack lunches.
Make sure any out of the ordinary items are packed in backpacks (things like permission slips, classroom supplies, library books, or show and tell).
Place backpacks by the front door.
Place band/orchestra instruments by the front door.
In cold weather, place coats, snow pants, boots, etc. on the heater near the front door.
Make sure supplies for after school activities are ready to go (music books, dance gear, etc.).
Pick out clothes to wear for the next day and lay them out—right down to socks and underwear (this goes for Mom, too!).
Pack my own work/computer bag and place near the front door.

That’s pretty much it. This whole process really only takes about 20 minutes. 20 minutes is not very long—even when you’re exhausted. Coupled with going to bed on time and getting enough sleep, it’s the perfect antidote for crazy mornings!

Download the nightly checklist for kids:

Enter your email address into the form below and the checklist will be sent directly to your inbox. Get ready to have easier school mornings now!

If you’re looking for some more really concrete ideas on how to make your evenings and your mornings run more smoothly, check out these two affordable e-courses:

Make Over Your Evenings

Make Over Your Mornings

Both of them are designed to teach you exactly how to get organized so that your entire day goes more smoothly and you are more productive. If your mornings or evenings (or both!) are currently stressing you out, I highly recommend these courses.