Morning Routines & Rules To Help Kids (And Mom) Start The Day Well

These morning routines for kids will help them start the day calmly, without fuss, and help give mom some peace in the mornings too.

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My mother says when I was little that I was a Super Morning Person.

She’d come into the room and say, “Rachel, time to get up!” and I’d sit straight up and smile. No power battles, no procrastination, no drama.

And then I had 5 kids…

Duh duh duh…

And I found that waking up super early to crying, whining, or constant demands did NOT make me have happy mornings. As a mother who was in charge of the home’s routines, moods, and daily flow… I needed the mornings (which set the tone for the whole day) to be peaceful.

So I made some routines. And some rules to keep those routines. And it means I don’t lie in bed dreading the day… You don’t have to either.

Morning Routines & Rules For Kids That Actually Work

Nobody loves being cranky in the morning… and as I mom I feel as though having a happy morning helps set the tone for a better day. You see, every morning doesn’t have to be a struggle.

It’s possible to have a morning routine (set with rules) that actually works.

Start the night before

First of all, having an age appropriate and healthy bedtime routine is a must. It can’t be said enough… the night before has a huge effect on morning behaviors.

Every family is different, but establishing your family’s routine with the correct amount of sleep for your kids age is the first step to a morning routine that works.

There’s a misconception that keeping kids up late will help them sleep longer in the morning. This is false. Research actually proves that disrupting a healthy sleep cycle will cause kids to wake up earlier and earlier…and with the grumps.

Put them to sleep at a good, consistent hour and you’ll have happier kids in the morning.

Basically, being well rested and establishing a healthy bedtime routine is hugely beneficial for how children feel and behave in the morning.

Read: My “Daily Escape” to a Quiet Place & Why It’s Necessary

An age appropriate “wake up time” that is set by YOU

I cringe when I hear a mother complain about their toddler waking them up at dark-thirty every morning… NO, thank you.

I found out right away with my first child that reinforcing an age appropriate “wake up time” made us both happier morning people. It was good for her because it gave her a sense of responsibility and a time to be creative.

For me, it meant that I could have some peace in the mornings.

Be firm on what time YOU SET as the waking time. Really, it’s the allowed to leave your room time. Whether its 6:30 or 7:30… pick the time that works for you and stick with it.

There are a few ways to do this:

• Set specific morning playtime toys out in their room the night before (legos, drawing, reading, journaling, etc…).
• For children still in the crib, you can set some play things (for the morning) in the corner of their bed after they are asleep.
• Many have found that using an OK to Wake Alarm Clock or Sun & Moon Sleep Trainer Clock is very helpful in getting a steady routine. It’s an easy to tool to let kids know when they can leave their room in the morning.

Make getting dressed a streamlined process

No morning routine for kids would be complete without talking about clothes. And, nothing adds frustration to a morning than having to find that missing sock, or a clean pair of shorts…

I say, let’s add an easy hack that gives the kids independence while streamlining the getting dressed process. This is especially helpful if you’re like me and have had multiple children close together…

Invest in these: kids day of the week garment bags for girls or boys

Kids day of the week garment bags are extremely helpful. Here is what I do:

• Fill them for the week in advance (I like to do this on Sunday evenings)
• Make sure socks are in there too,
• Hang them at the correct height for the kids to access on their own, and
• Grow my children’s self confidence and independence.

Tidy up bedroom before coming out for the day

Tidy up, tidy up, tidy up, kiddos.

The trick here is to keep it simple. Kid’s don’t need color coded tabs and super-organized labeled everything. They just need to be in the habit of tidying up before they leave their room.

How do you do this? It may seem hard to some, but after you establish this rule and routine… it will start to click. Make room organization simple (big baskets, for example). Explain what you expect of your kids, and then enforce it.

I think that learning to tidy as you go is a great life skill to have.

1. Lay down the rule – You don’t leave your room in the morning until it has been tidied up. Definitely no TV or screen time until this has happened. The one thing after the other philosophy will serve you well.
2. Keep it simple – Place some easy baskets for storage of toys where they can easily be accessible to little kids.
3. Make the bed – Even the smallest child can pull his/her blanket over the bed.

Now, this does take some training so stick with it. Consistency and positive reinforcement are the key here. They will try not to do it and they’ll complain and it may be a drama at first. Eventually, if you do not relent warrior mama, they’ll just get on with it.

Read: Mom Morning Routines That’ll Save Your Sanity

Breakfast (DIY for older kids)

You may be the type of mother that likes to cook a fresh, hot breakfast. If this isn’t the habit that you get into, gathering easy and simply DIY options will be helpful in establishing morning routines for kids.

For older children, making some oatmeal, grits, or toast can be an easy DIY breakfast. They can wake up, go ahead and feed themselves, and be ready for school.

Obviously, younger children wouldn’t be able to do this so having an easy option that they can help themself to can be very helpful.

Some little ones wake up super hungry… sometimes “hangry”. You can provide some nice breakfast bars (we do KIND bars) or have an older sibling help make their food. This also encourages cooperation, which is a bonus.

Tips for breakfast & tidy up:

• Prepare your pantry – Make sure to shop for groceries that can be prepared easily for breakfast. (Hot cereals, cold cereals, milk, juice, granola, yogurt, fruit, etc).
• Have a designated breakfast spot – When left to their own devices, kids will eat anywhere… and leave messes everywhere. This also helps with clean up.
• Teach safety & teamwork – There are some things older kids can do, but younger ones can’t. Maybe the older sibling can pour the bowl of cereal, but the younger one should be in charge or rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.

School mornings vs. weekend / summer / homeschooling mornings

Different times of the year call for different routines. School mornings are going to look and feel different than summer or more laid back mornings…

School mornings

We have all had those mornings where homework is somewhere on the kitchen table, socks are nowhere to be found, and their hair is half brushed… but this doesn’t have to be the norm.

If your kids are school aged and attend school outside the home, then you already have some sort of morning routine in play. Is it going as smoothly as you like?

Here are a few tips that can help calm down those school mornings:

• Have a designated backpack location.
• Make sure kids pack their bags the night before.
• Assign a gathering place (when they are ready to go). This could be in a quiet spot by the door or even outside if safe. You don’t want everyone running around like crazy while you’re trying to get out the door.

More laid back mornings

It’s so important to get the day going on the right foot. For summer mornings or more laid back mornings, having a chore list or a special reading area is great.

Morning routines for kids doesn’t have to go out the window when you’re having a more relaxed morning. You can create more free flowing routines that still keep the basics of sanity in place.

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