So this morning as I woke up to kids quickly and quietly getting ready for school (all on their own), I was reminded of a day when such a thing rarely happened. A day I don't like to think about. I can recall the sound of my frustrated voice on so many school mornings saying/asking....(more like nagging) things like, "Where's your backpack?" "Did you put on clean underwear?" "Did you use toothpaste when you brushed?" "Go make your bed." "Is your homework in your folder?" "Is your folder in your backpack?" "Did you say your morning prayer?" "Is your room picked up?" "Get your coat on." "Get your shoes on." "Did you forget your lunchbox?" etc. etc. etc!
So...how did I make all of this nagging stop?? Well... I will tell you my friends. I will tell you my secret. And whether or not you take my advice is up to you, but you cannot say you weren't informed.
One day, I was sick of it. I was tired of nagging the kids all morning long to do the same things, over....and over.....and over again! So, I had an idea. I'm not much of a "chart" person, but I had to come up with SOMETHING!!! So, I made each child a "Morning Chart" as we like to call it and discussed it during Family Night.
On each chart I listed everything that needed to be done in the mornings before school.
For example...Carson's looked like this.
1-Say your personal/morning prayer
2-Get dressed in clean clothes- (shower every other day)
3- Make your bed
4- Eat breakfast and clear your dishes from the table.
5- Brush your teeth (with toothpaste)
6-Comb your hair
7-Clean your room
8-Get your backpack ready (with lunchbox, library book, homework, show and tell, etc.)
9-Feed Bud
10-Get on your shoes/coat/backpack
Next to each task was a box for him to put a check mark in as each thing was completed.
Every morning, without me telling them one thing to do, the kids would fill out their "morning chart". (I told them they could go in any order they wanted, but the order I listed was probably ideal.)
So, how did I keep them motivated to fill out this chart every morning before school?? Well, I'm a big fan of positive reinforcement/ and natural consequences, so this was the deal. If they returned home from school and had successfully completed their "morning chart" that morning BEFORE we left for school, they would earn their "morning chart treat" which they would devour alongside their after-school snack. (They would pick something small from the treat bowl...nothing big or fancy...but they loved it nonetheless.) If they DIDN'T finish their "morning chart" they wouldn't get the treat, AND the natural consequences would take place (if they hadn't already.) For example, if they didn't eat their breakfast that morning...they would have been quite hungry at school. If they didn't get their coat or lunchbox...they would have been cold and had to eat the nasty school's lunch. If they didn't clean their room or make their bed they would have to do this when they got home, while the other kids got to play. Understand? It didn't take my kids long to realize it's better to just do their chart than to miss out on a perfectly good treat, and have to clean their room AFTER school anyway. And it was nice to not worry anymore, and let them live with the consequences of their own choices.
Another little incentive is that my kids LOVE morning cartoons. But...my school-age kids rarely have time to watch them on school mornings, so we made a deal. As long as their morning chart is complete...they may watch cartoons until it's time to leave. This helps things move along quite nicely in the morning, since they are always hoping to catch a few minutes of the Disney Channel before we head out.
My favorite part now is that I no longer even print out a chart! My kids have all memorized everything on their chart, so they are happy to do it in their head, and I'm happy to let them. It's great.
A few other things I do in the mornings to help our day go smoother....
1-I love to turn on some positive uplifting (but not crazy) music on Pandora as the kids are waking up and getting ready. The "solo piano" radio station on Pandora is my favorite in the morning. It helps keep a good mood in my home, during what can so quickly become a chaotic hour in my house!
2- The next thing I do is open all the blinds in the house. I love sunlight coming into my house in the early morning and it helps me and the kids feel awake and ready for a new day.
3- I try (not always the best at this...but I try....) to make the kids their lunches the night before. This helps me in the mornings, because I like to have all four kids up, dressed, fed and ready for the day before school starts at 7:55am and it's one less thing on my list to do in the morning. The two oldest (the ones actually in school) can get up and do most of the things on their own...(minus Kenzie's hair...and getting breakfast), but the two youngest still need lots of my attention and help to get ready every morning , so this frees up my time to hep them.
Now, I'm not trying to brag or anything, but from experience with the "Morning chart" for months now, let me just say, IT WORKS! We have not been late to school one time this school year, and my home has been SO much more peaceful in the mornings. No more nagging. No more stressing. Just happy/ busy kids who don't need to be told what to do all morning, and it's lovely. Seriously- this morning, the kids woke up on their own, and when they came to find me brushing my teeth at 7am, the first thing they said to me was, "I'm almost done with my morning chart already! All I have left to do is my hair and put on my coat and backpack!!!" And this, my friends, is why I decided to share my secret. Mornings like this are glorious in a crazy house with 4 little kids, and I want you all to have equally happy mornings as well!
Feel free to ask any questions or to let me in on some of your tips to help your mornings run smoother!!!!
4 comments:
I'm pretty sure you wrote this for me...add to a crazy morning that I am so NOT a morning person and it's not pretty. I have been really trying to not raise my voice at all, but the nagging is still nagging me. :) I'm definitely going to try this, thank you! Random question, what do you typically pack your kids lunches with? Sandwich, fruit, veggie, treat, etc. Half the time my kids come home with their lunches half-eaten or they're starving...silly kids. Any secrets?
You are such a good mom! I wish I would've thought of something like this when all of my kids were little.. Now they are all going at different times, and I figure the older ones are smart enough to know what they need to do before school. IF they don't, well...I take whatever they leave out! Kylee has found herself without her makeup, straightener, etc before. However, I do need to figure out a better system to get the girls to put away their cheer/dance/school bags and crap instead of leaving it in the Kitchen every night and morning! My house is clean until they get home then it's homework everywhere, cheer crap everywhere! I get so frustrated and I too, am sick of the nagging. I've tried a few things, but Kylee just looks at me like, "whatever"... she honestly doesn't really care if I take things or ground her. Grrrr
We do something very similar. We have an am and pm list for them to do. Each day also has a larger chore (help empty dishwasher, put away laundry, set table, etc.). Like you, the kids get a small treat when they get home from school when they've done their am list (in fact, I think we got that idea from you a while back- you genius you) and the kids get to pick a book to be read to them at bedtime if they complete their afternoon list and chores. It's been working great for us too! Only suggestion for you if you ever need to actually print charts again: just print one and put it in a clear page protector and have the kids mark/check things off with an erasable marker. All you have to do is wipe it off each day and start all over the next day!
This is genius. Seriously. I wonder if my 2.5 year old would do this. (I know my 4 year old would.) I'll definitely have to try it out!
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