Positive Behaviour for Learning
St John Vianney's Catholic Primary School
A morning routine helps children arrive at school ready to learn and play.
Think about what you need to achieve in the mornings. You can probably do many things the night before. When you’ve worked out a morning routine, write it up and display it where everyone can see it. Plenty of sleep, time and positive attention can help children cooperate with school morning routines.
Morning routine for school: the whys and hows
Staying calm and being organised in the morning will help you and your child feel positive about the day ahead. It will also help you reduce stress, which is good for everyone’s wellbeing.
One of the best ways to stay calm and get organised is to have a morning routine for school. A routine will help your child know what’s happening and remember what they need to do.
Planning a routine for school mornings
The first step in planning your morning routine for school could be to make a weekly schedule with reminders of what your child needs for school each day. For example, your child might need:
- a library bag on Monday
- sports clothes on Wednesday
- something for show and tell on Friday.
The next step is to list the regular things you need to do to get ready for school each day. You can split these into things you can do the night before and things that have to be done in the morning.
Things you might do the night before include:
- checking what your child needs for the next day
- packing your child’s bag
- laying out uniforms
- making lunches
- checking school notifications.
Things that have to be done in the morning include:
- getting out of bed
- having a healthy breakfast
- cleaning teeth, washing faces and getting dressed
- checking that your child has everything they need before they leave
- leaving the house on time.
To get to work and school on time, you probably need to do your morning activities at certain times. So when you’re planning your routine, it’s a good idea to think about:
- how long morning activities take
- what time morning activities need to happen.
If you know there are things that might cause conflict in the morning, it can help to deal with these the night before. For example, your child might find it hard to get out of bed on time. You and your child might be able to come up with a solution together if you talk about the issue the night before.