Routines · 3 min read
When the clocks go back with five kids
Twice a year the clocks change, and twice a year my house forgets what time it is. One hour sounds like nothing. Spread across five children, a night-owl mum and a school run, it's a week of wide-awake bedtimes, grumpy mornings and someone asking for breakfast at half five.
Shift bedtime in small steps, not one jump
The kindest thing I've found is to start a few days early. Move bedtime by fifteen minutes every couple of nights, so by the time the clocks change, the body clock has mostly moved already. If you've missed the window (I usually have), do the same thing in the week after. Small shifts beat one big battle.
Keep the morning exactly the same
Everything else can wobble, but I keep the morning order fixed: up, dressed, breakfast, teeth, shoes, bags. Same steps, same order, whatever the clock says. When the timing feels strange, a familiar order is what stops the house sliding into chaos before 8am.
Light in the morning, dim in the evening
Open the curtains as soon as everyone is up, and get outside for a few minutes if you can, even if it's just the walk to school. In the evening, turn the big lights off an hour before bed and use lamps. It's a small change that helps tired bodies catch up with the new time.
Let the cards do the reminding
The hardest part for me is the repeating. Teeth. Pyjamas. Teeth again. In a week when everyone is tired, my patience runs out long before the instructions do. Picture cards on the wall mean the little ones can see what comes next without me saying it for the tenth time, and the bigger ones can tick off their own steps.
Go easy on everyone, including you
Expect a wobbly week. Someone will be up too early and someone will be wide awake at nine. That isn't failure, it's just the clocks. Keep the routine simple, lower the bar for a few days, and it settles, usually by the following weekend.
If you want the cards ready-made
That's why I made the Morning & Bedtime Visual Routine Cards: 30 morning and bedtime picture cards, "just the three" cards for tired nights and rushed mornings, a Now / Next board and tick strips with 7 blank name slots. 14 pages, A4 and US Letter, £3.50.
Or start with the free Big Family Weekly Reset Checklist when you join the Calm Club below, one page to get the ordinary week back on track once the clocks have settled.