Starting a new school routine can be difficult for everyone. It’s disorienting and dysregulating, much like starting a new job. But the earlier you get your morning school routine started, the easier those first few weeks will be.
Dysregulation is anything that makes it difficult for someone to manage his or her emotions. Parents must stay regulated and calm to help their kids regulate themselves. The easier we can make it on ourselves in the morning, the easier it is to have patience with — and help our kids with — their emotions.
If dysregulated is being unable to control your own emotions, then “regulated” means staying in control of our emotions and responding to things with calm. Doing this in the morning is tough!
Personally, I don’t consider myself a morning person nor a patient person. We’re usually rushing out the door, which means I constantly forget things. I’ve found that building a routine has helped a lot. Here are my seven tips for making your morning routine better — and smoother — on school days.
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1. Sunlight over Screens
Looking at phones or screens first thing in the morning gives our brain a big dopamine hit, but the majority of brains do better with slower dopamine mornings. What a difference it makes to look or step outside before I check my phone.
It doesn’t happen every day, but we feel a difference when we step outside for a second or open up the blinds before we pick up the screens. However, if my kiddo gets up before the sun, I’m still probably going to throw on a show or get out the Kindle. Flexibility is important, and so is my sleep, especially when they aren’t sleeping as well.
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2. Hydration Helps Mornings Flow
Drinking water in the morning is important for many health reasons. For one, it helps calm your body. You haven’t had anything to drink while you’re sleeping, so your body is thirsty.
My kids won’t do this on their own unless I put water bottles right in front of them. We’re working on that. They sleep with a fresh water bottle at night, so I just add ice to refresh them in the morning.
3. Do Your Morning-Self as Many Favors as Possible
The most important part of our morning routine starts the night before. Prepare as much as possible the night before! I started putting our clothes for the week in an over-the-door shoe organizer. It has reduced my weekday stress level immensely. The night before, I also prepare the following items:
- Backpacks/folders/extracurricular bags
- Breakfast options laid out on the table
- Lunches
- Medications
- Outfits
- Shoes
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4. Share a Smile and Mantra
In my education courses in college, I learned that smiling when you first see a child in the morning can set the tone for hours. I’m generally a grumpy morning person, but I try to shake it off for a minute to connect with my kids when they first see me. Create a couple of mantras or inspiring phrases that you can say together to start mornings on the right foot.
Or listen to one of these songs during wake up time:
- Have you heard Doggyland’s Affirmation song? It’s so fun!
- Check out books, affirmations, and songs by Slumberkins — a company made by moms that focuses on emotional awareness and early childhood development.
- Slumberkins’s songs are great, but they also have an adult-sounding album based on their mantras. The first song is “Take a Deep Breath” by Trevor Hall.
- If you’re looking for older kids or yourself, check out “Helium” by Mikey Wax.
5. Help Regulate Kids with Protein
I did NOT realize how vital protein is. It’s important for us, but it’s vital for our kids. Yes, it can be hard when you have picky eaters. Still, I try to make sure we all have protein to start the day. It helps us regulate our bodies. Here are our favorite protein go-to’s:
- String cheese
- A spoonful of peanut butter
- Shredded wheat cereal
- Oatmeal
- Greek yogurt
- Lunch meat
My favorite local nutritionist has a great course on helping your picky eater. You can find her @MamaKnowsNutrition. Her tips have helped our family.
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6. Keep Calm and Mom On
This is difficult for me. Like I said, my patience is limited in the morning, but I know I need to keep and model the calm. As the mom, I set the tone in the morning. The less I focus on the morning being perfect and the more I do things that keep me calm, the better I feel.
I can take deep breaths.
I can feed myself.
I can be kind and patient.
If I’m rushed and anxious, I can’t expect the kids to be calm and compliant. My job is to share that calm with them even if they are dysregulated, wild, or tired. If I want to help regulate the kids, I have to regulate myself.
7. Two Minutes to Stress Reduction
Taking deep breaths, smiling, and saying positive phrases are all ways to connect our bodies to calmness. We can also do something else, quickly, that can help us regulate.
Doing intentional sensory input activities, for even a couple of minutes, can help kids regulate. Here are 10 quick sensory input activities you could do in the morning:
- Big hugs
- Crawl or crab walk to your backpack
- Do five push ups off the wall standing up
- Hop
- Jumping jacks
- Play with fidgets
- Quick dance party
- Bounce on a yoga ball
- Squeeze stress balls
- Swing
If we manage a few of these in the morning and leave our kids on a positive note instead of a negative one, that’s a win.
What are your favorite morning routine tips?
