If simply sending your child to school every morning feels like you have run a marathon, you aren’t alone. Parents world over are known to recognize early mornings as one of the most hectic parts of the day. The good news, however is that with some effort you can make school mornings easier and even find time to relax with that much needed cuppa. Read on:

Start early

This may sound pretty prosaic, but getting up even 15 minutes before your regular time can go a long way in having a peaceful morning. What these extra minutes do for you is to give you that much-needed me-time before you start to wake up the household. A relaxed state of mind can go a long way in putting the rest of the day into gear. What these extra minutes can also do is help you connect with the child. That little snuggle or two minutes of conversation before yanking them off the bed will go a long way in setting the mood for the child’s day as well.

Starting early does not, however, just refer to your wake up time. It also means putting your child into a routine before the school season actually takes off. So if the child is about to start pre-school or has to rejoin school after a break, ensure that you put a routine in place a couple of days before school starts. Getting them to sleep early and wake up early will be just the acclimatization they need to avoid a rude awakening (pun intended!), once school begins.

Prepare the night before

Ensure that you do everything that you can (short of making the kids sleep in the next day’s clothing), the night before. Whether it is laying out of clothes, ensuring that the bags are packed, the morning’s meal is decided, it is best not to leave anything for the morning where time is of essence! To be able to do all of this easily, ensure that the kids get into the habit of keeping all their school related stuff at a designated place. It may help to create space near the door from where the child enters from school and exits for it, where the child can stack up his school supplies.

Designate a leader

If you have two or more kids to get ready and have them leave by a certain time, it may help to designate one of them as a leader to ensure that everyone completes their tasks on time. Do remember to ensure that they take turns in their leadership roles to keep a healthy competition going. You could also play some music to liven up the mornings. Fun games like who can wear their shoes by the time x or y song plays can also infuse energy into an otherwise dull morning.

Be a role model

Above everything, remember what you do counts more than what you say. So, laying out your own work clothes at night or having enough time for breakfast yourself, will go a long way in having the kids emulate you. Above everything, stay calm. Remember that your anxiety only slows down the kids instead of getting them into speed mode.

Purvesh Sharma