Getting your sleepy heads out of bed in the morning can be a challenge for even the most seasoned of parents. A few simple tricks can go a long way in getting them up and going in the morning. Plus, a few fun pranks can get them moving a little faster.
Tricks to get your kids up in the morning
Here are our favorite ways to get your kids moving, and get your mornings off to a great start!
Plan ahead
Getting ready for a new day should start the night before. By taking a few minutes at the end of your day to help your children prepare for the next can help alleviate chaos and stress in the morning. Have them lay out their clothes and have their backpacks ready to grab on the way out the door. If there are after-school activities, have that stuff ready as well.
It starts with bedtime
A good night’s sleep is essential when gearing up to get your children up in the morning. A well-rested child is ready to conquer a new day while an overtired one is lethargic and difficult to wake. Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is a good first step. Elementary-aged children (5 to 12 years old) need an average of 10 to 11 hours of sleep. To determine a good bedtime, take the time you need to wake your children in the morning and count backwards 10 to 11 hours. Limit the amount of screen time your child gets as she heads into bedtime, and encourage relaxing habits like meditating or reading before bed.
Be consistent
When waking kids up in the morning, be consistent. Wake-up should be at the same time every morning so that they can establish a routine. This routine should be discussed and enforced. Allowing too much deviation can set you up for unnecessary chaos and tantrums.
Foster self-responsibility
It’s easy for kids to rely on their parents to wake them up in the morning, but you have an opportunity here to help teach them self-responsibility by having them get up on their own. Even small children can utilize an alarm clock. Talk to them and help them to determine what time to set it for so that they are ready to go in the morning. If they miss out on something in the morning? Remind them to set it a little earlier the next time.
When all else fails, have some fun!
Have a little fun and play a prank on your kids to help get them up in the morning. A couple of ideas to try:
- Set all the clocks in the house a few hours ahead and then tell them they’re late for school
- Change their alarm to go off early
- Wake them up to loud and happy music
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