5 Tips to Ensure You’re Always on Time for the Morning School Run
Schools all across the UK are heading back this week if they’ve not already which means for parents everywhere, the dreaded morning school run that just hasn’t been a worry for the last 6 weeks is going to be coming back with vengeance.
The first couple of weeks back can be tough, everyone is out of their usual routine, no one remembered quite how tight you were for time on weekday mornings and generally, you just can’t get your head around where the last 6 weeks have gone but with these top 5 tips, you’ll never be late for the morning school run again.
- Pack All Bags the Night Before
Every parent who does the morning school run will be familiar with the struggle of finding everything you need and getting it into the school bag or the sports bag or the lunch box, all whilst running around trying to do everything else that needs doing, so the simple solution is, pack all bags the night before.
Whether it’s putting their pencil case in their book bag, filling up their drinks bottle and putting it in the lunch box or making sure their PE kit is packed, make yourself a checklist for everything they need for each day and make sure it is ready the night before.
- Set Designated Places for Everything
Whether it’s lost shoes, missing ties or coats that just seem to not be in the house anymore, the struggle of trying to find all the clothes your kids need to put on in a morning for school somehow turns into a real challenge when you’re in a rush, so setting designated places for everything makes life a lot easier.
If you make sure that everything is returned to its set place the night before it will ensure everyone knows exactly where to find anything they need and should make your morning a lot calmer.
- Keep Essentials in the Car
Most parents will be able to recall an occasion where they’ve made it to the car, think they’re ready to go and then realise they forgot to brush the kids’ hair or they’ve got toothpaste around their mouth and if you’ve not got a stash of essentials in the car, that can easily escalate into a stressful situation.
We recommend getting a back seat organiser like the ones we have available here at HandiWorld and stocking it up with things like hairbrushes, wet wipes and tissues, so even if you do forget to do something, you can sort it in the car!
- Quick and Easy Breakfasts are a Must
As much as we’d all love to spend hours in the kitchen preparing hearty, nutritious breakfasts for our kids before school, not many of us have the time but it is important that children get a good breakfast before the school day starts, so quick, easy and healthy breakfasts are a must.
Cereal and toast with fruit is always a go-to but things like overnight oats, homemade breakfast bars and egg muffins are quick and easy to do and will keep children full all morning. Buzzfeed have done a whole article with over 20 different healthy breakfast ideas which is great for inspiration.
- Don’t Wake the Kids Up TOO Early
You might have thought that the earlier you all get up, the more time you’ll have to get ready and the less likely you are to be late but waking your kids up too early can actually have the opposite effect.
A top tip for parents is to get yourself up and ready for the day before you wake the kids up and once they’re awake, you can focus all your attention on getting them ready and out the door as you’re already sorted, helping to eliminate the stress of rushing around trying to get both them and you sorted.
Waking the kids up too early can also end up with them spending more time watching TV or playing than actually getting ready.
Take the stress out of the morning school run by following these top 5 tips for keeping your school mornings calm and easy.
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