You have breakfast, lunch, you are dressed and ready to walk out of the door but what about the children? Are they ready? Are they even awake yet?

Yep – I’m the mom who pulled up to the drop-off point at school while my son asked, “Hey! Where are my shoes?”

Which is better than my friend Kay who got pulled over in her PJs and barefoot (and was asked to step out of the car.)

Or maybe you are one of those moms that has dropped their child off at school only to realize they are still in their pajama’s, or the child does not have their backpack, lunch or homework.

A goal for many wives and moms is to make mornings smooth and get everyone where they need to be on time…even dad! How does that get accomplished? Many of the tips that I have shared all week can be used on the kids as well. For those whose children are out of the toddler stage in elementary school, you can begin to incorporate them into the nightly preparation times and teach them how to get their things ready.

  1. Get yourself ready first. This way you can focus on the children!
  2. Pack back packs before bed: Do they have their homework, library book, show and tell item; all papers are signed and checked?
  3. Fill their water bottles and pack lunch items before bed as well.
  4. Have the children set out their clothes and shoes the night before on their dresser. This will lessen morning temper tantrums and in decisions.
  5. Do all baths and showers the night before.
  6. Make sure they have decided what they want for breakfast.
  7. Tuck the children in bed at a decent hour. Children usually need 10-12 hours of sleep so plan accordingly. This will help ensure they get up easily too.
  8. If you have several children or several family members but 1 bathroom delegate bathroom time. If more than one is brushing their teeth at the same time it will more likely turn into play and a mess.

Here are some other thoughts on getting kids ready on the morning.

Top 10 Morning Madness Tips for Getting Kids up and Ready

What have I missed? My kids are older now and can take care of getting out the door on their own. As the saying goes it takes a village, so tell me what works in your house for making sure the family is up and ready to go on time. I am sure all my readers can benefit from all of the great input.