Many parents find the mornings rushed and mostly unpleasant, but the good news is there are some things you can do to make mornings work better for everyone.
First of all, make sure bedtime is reasonable. Children and teenagers need a lot of sleep, at least 9 hours per night but often more (up to 12 hours). Enforcing an early bedtime, so that your children wake up naturally rather than having to be woken up each day is a great start. This means turning off all screens at least an hour before bedtime (screens are very stimulating and make sleep difficult for some time afterwards).
Other ideas include:
First of all, make sure bedtime is reasonable. Children and teenagers need a lot of sleep, at least 9 hours per night but often more (up to 12 hours). Enforcing an early bedtime, so that your children wake up naturally rather than having to be woken up each day is a great start. This means turning off all screens at least an hour before bedtime (screens are very stimulating and make sleep difficult for some time afterwards).
Other ideas include:
- Pack lunches the night before.
- Lay out the next day’s clothes before bed.
- Gather homework and pack backpacks the night before and leave by the door.
- Showers and baths should happen in the evening
- Back up the wake up time to about 20 to 30 minutes earlier so that there is ample time for connection and communication and a healthy breakfast for you with your children in the mornings. When the children are dressed, make time for a story or snuggle time before everyone goes their separate ways for the day.
- Never allow screens of any type in the morning.