Routines · 3 min read
Five kids, one morning: the routine that finally stuck
Five children, one bathroom, and a school bell that waits for nobody. Our mornings used to be loud. These days they're mostly calm, and it's down to three simple changes.
Picture cards, not shouting
Each child has a strip of picture cards: dressed, breakfast, teeth, shoes, bag. They move a peg along as they go. I stopped being the human reminder, and they love being in charge.
A launch pad by the door
One basket per child. Everything for tomorrow goes in it the night before. No more hunting for a reading folder at 8.40am.
The shoe rule
Shoes live in the launch pad, always. It sounds small. It's not.
Start with just one of these. When it feels normal, add the next.