Getting back to the morning routine

Whether your kids are off to kindergarten or daycare, getting your child's morning off to a good start can make or break everyone's day. Invest in Kids has a few pointers to help get your family back to a good routine.

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Toronto - It's 7am. Breakfast isn't ready, your child's socks are mismatched, he's on the verge of a tantrum and you have 20 minutes to get him to daycare or be late for work. For many parents, especially those whose children are just starting kindergarten or child care, September mornings can be chaotic as they try to establish new routines. And busy moms and dads know that how the morning starts can often affect how the entire family feels for the rest of the day. It can be hard to shake that frazzled feeling when everyone is rushed and another morning ends in tears.

Starting child care or kindergarten can be an adjustment for the whole family, that's why the experts at Invest in Kids, a national charity dedicated to helping parents become the parents they want to be, created their strategies to handle these new morning routines and help families manage morning stress.

"Back-to-school time is not only about preparing your child for the first day of daycare or school," says Chaya Kulkarni, child development and parenting expert with Invest in Kids. "It's important for everyone in the family to work together on setting up and following new routines that will minimize the surprises and reduce the likelihood of a time crunch and stress for both the parents and kids. How you handle the mornings can change the entire trajectory of the day."

Here are several tips from the Invest in Kids' experts that will help families with young children get a better handle on their morning routine:

* Start talking about the new routine well in advance of the first day and introduce rules that will be in place once school starts and that will help your child be rested and enjoy the learning experiences (e.g., bedtime and morning "getting ready" routines).

* Establish a morning routine that involves doing particular things such as eating breakfast at the same time each day and doing routine things in the same order. This can save lots of time, and can also help you to remember to do important things, like complete permission slips.

* Try to incorporate some fun into your morning rituals, such as singing songs and just getting a little silly together.

* Create a special corner for needed child care or kindergarten items. Have a bag or knapsack ready that holds everything you need and check regularly to replenish any items. Having needed materials prepared ahead of time will save the effort of looking for them at the last minute.

* Try to prepare some things the night before. For instance, prepare lunches and ask your child to pick out clothes.

For additional tips on this and other back-to-school issues, check out Invest in Kids Parents' Back to School Guide at www.investinkids.ca/tips.

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