Finding the Best Morning Routine for Your Family

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase through my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

Where are my shoes? What happened to the homework I finished last night? What’s for breakfast?

School has been in session for a couple weeks and the first week of excitement has worn off. My family is settling into the weekly cycle and daily routines of life.  I’m a firm believer in having established routines, probably because with large family logistics, there’s not enough of me to personally coach each child through their morning preparation. When everyone knows how to prepare for the day, the day goes much smoother, right?

Today I wanted to share a few ideas for finding the best morning routine for your family to get everyone on task for the day. Maybe you’ve already implemented some of the ideas on this list but my hope is that you will find one or two that you can use to make mornings smoother and your day more successful.

Establish a regular bedtime.

I know, I know. This is supposed to be about the morning routine, right? But one of the key great morning elements for our family is to make sure we get into bed on time and get rested. Without a good night’s sleep, it’s tough to get moving the next morning.

Set out clothing the night before.

Choosing clothing the night before is a great shortcut for morning preparation. Doing this eliminates the possibility of taking too much time to choose what to wear.

Have children use alarm clocks.

When I was ten years old, my parents gave me my first alarm clock for Christmas.  I’m glad that my mom stopped waking me up and gave me the opportunity to be responsible for myself. Currently, my 10 year old son, 11 year old daughter, and 13 year old son all use their own morning alarms. I have my own alarm set and make sure the kids are out of bed at the appropriate times.

Use a breakfast meal plan.

Whether your child eats cereal or toast or microwaves an egg, using a breakfast meal plan streamlines the routine. Our family doesn’t write out the plan, but on Sunday nights, I review the breakfast options for the week with them. The older two kids make their own breakfast. If your child is a tough one to get eating in the mornings, then writing out a breakfast meal plan might be just the thing.

Create a morning checklist to guide your child through the routine.

With younger children not yet of reading age, a picture list can work perfectly. For readers, a simple checklist can work wonders. I like to use one-word checklists even for the readers because keeping it simple helps maintain focus.

Predetermine a method for time with God.

I don’t recommend anything lengthy, but if your family has morning personalities, then maybe this is a great time for journaling or a Bible study. Our family has found that evening Bible stories or studies work better for us than morning. For mornings, a few ideas for time with God might include:

• using a Bible reading plan
• reading a devotional book
• enjoying a verse a day calendar
• using a perpetual calendar

What ideas has your family used to promote a great morning? I would love it if you’d share them today!

Rachel

Be sure to check out our family’s favorite morning devotional:

Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids

Site may be compensated if purchase is made; see full disclosure policy.