Kids morning routine

What It Means

A kids morning routineMorning routineA set series of steps you follow each morning, in the same order, to get yourself or your household up, ready and out the door on time. See more is the fixed set of steps a child goes through between waking up and leaving for school or child care: using the bathroom, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth and grabbing a backpack. Doing the steps in the same order every day helps a child know what to expect, which the CDC says helps kids feel safe. Some families put the steps on a chart with words or pictures so a child can see what comes next.

How It Sounds at Home

• "What's next on your chart?"
• "Teeth, then shoes, then we go."
• "Your backpack's already by the door."

The Breakdown

How to set it up

1. Decide what time your child needs to be ready, and work backward to a wake-up time.
2. List four to six steps in order. The CDC's sample routine for young children runs: wake up and use the potty, breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed.
3. Put the steps on a chart with words or pictures, where your child can see it.
4. Move what you can to the night before. HealthyChildren.org suggests having as much in order as possible the night before, and a quick tidy-up at bedtime puts needed things where they belong.
5. Keep wake-up cheerful and positive, another HealthyChildren.org tip.
6. Use the same order every day, and praise your child for each step they finish.

Night-before checklist

• Clothes picked out
• Backpack packed and by the door
• Lunch made or planned
• Forms signed
• Shoes where they belong

Try it today. Tonight, set out tomorrow's clothes with your child and put the packed backpack by the door together.

Good to Know

Plan bedtime from the wake-up time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 9 to 12 hours of sleep per 24 hours for children 6 to 12 and 8 to 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more hours for teens 13 to 18, and the AAP endorsed those ranges in 2016. HealthyChildren.org notes that children who eat a nutritious breakfast function better at school, with better concentration and more energy. Its backpack safety page says a backpack shouldn't weigh more than 15% of a child's body weight, so no more than 15 pounds for a 100-pound child. If mornings stay a struggle even with a steady routine, talk with your pediatrician.

Related Terms and Categories

• Morning routine

  A set series of steps you follow each morning, in the same order, to get yourself or your household up, ready and out the door on time.

• Routine chart

  A chart, often with pictures, listing the steps of one routine in order, such as getting ready for school or bed, that a child checks off as they go.

• Visual schedule

  A row of pictures or photos showing, in order, what happens next in a child's day or routine, so they can see what's coming.

• Backpack station

  A set spot near the door, usually hooks plus a shelf or bin, where school bags and the things that go with them live between school days.

• Bedtime routine

  The same short series of calm steps a child goes through each night before sleep, such as brushing teeth, reading a book and lights out at a set time.

Family organization and routines