HOUSTON – A lost pair of keys or shoes can make or break your morning routine. And when you've got kids to get to school, you probably don't have a minute to spare.
Even making lunches and setting out clothes the night before isn't always enough. Here are a few other ways you can minimize the morning rush:
1. Get the whole family involved
Create a wake-up routine, and then create a checklist of things the kids need to do each morning like, get dressed or brush their teeth and hair. Keep the checklist out where your kids can see it and check the items off as they go.
2. Make it a race
If they seem particularly slow at some things, like getting dressed, use a clock or a timer to make it a race. If you have more than one child, don't make them race against each other. It may not go well first thing in the morning. Instead, you all can work together to beat your own time each day, as a family. That way the bigger kids can help the smaller ones, too.
3. Create a launchpad
Avoid the last-minute search for homework or shoes by creating a launchpad for everything school related. You can put backpacks, lunchboxes, library books and permission slips in this area. Just grab everything on your way out the door.
4. Make an emergency pack
For those mornings when you're still running late, put an emergency pack in your car. You can store snack bars, a hairbrush, barrettes and a few dollars so your kids can buy their lunch if you didn't have time to make it.