Mornings used to be fun and lazy in my house. I woke with my little daughter when she was ready to start her day and fed her oatmeal while I sipped my coffee. I would throw in a load of laundry and do some other chores. Then we sat together on the sofa where I read her books and did some letter work.
Once my laundry was ready for the dryer, we would get set to go outside to the park, library, or grocery store. Kiara dressed in a little corner of our kitchen, where I had set up a nook and a tiny chair for her. By about 10 am, we were off.
That was then.
And now we’re in kindergarten.
Our morning routine shifted dramatically when Kiara started school. Now, an alarm clock announces that it is time for me to get out from under the covers even though the sky is still dark. I get myself ready, and then I proceed to wake my groggy kindergartener.
I have taken some time to figure out the best routine for getting her ready quickly and with as little stress as possible.
I gave this method a try for a while.
At the start, I toyed around with getting Kiara dressed as soon as she woke up. I had friends whose little ones weren’t permitted out of their bedrooms in the morning until they had their clothes on. I liked the idea of getting her dressed first, so she was all ready and just had to eat breakfast, wash up, and go. And even though I worried about spills, I gave this method a try for a while.
For me, it didn’t stick. I have switched back to having Kiaras’ breakfast ready and waiting when I come in to say good morning and lift her blinds. She goes right to the table and starts eating.
Not everyone is a fan of this.
I use a visual timer for breakfast on school days to not drag on. Not everyone is a fan of this, but I feel that as long as she has enough time to eat enough food, it’s an excellent way to help her learn to focus on eating when time is of the essence.
After her timer beeps, she washes up, and I help her get dressed. She can get dressed independently, but if I feel like we are short on time, it’s simple enough to pull her shirt over her head and zip up her jumper, and she can do the rest.
She needs to add the shoes.
Kiara wears a uniform, which I set out the night before. She wears a PE sweatsuit twice a week, and I have her sleep in it the night before, which speeds up the mornings too. She needs to add the shoes.
To me, simplifying the mornings is very important. Before Kiara started school, we spent all day together. Now, we are apart for most of the day. I like to make sure that we can start every day enjoying a little bit of each other’s company. Quality time doesn’t always mean you have to play a board game together or bake brownies. It also means that you make the most of the small moments and put effort into making them positive.
