If there’s one thing that helps calm the chaos before a busy school day, it’s having a tried and tested morning routine. And the perfect time to put one in place is the start of the school year when we’re fresh and enthusiastic!

Even the most seasoned school mums and dads know the wheels can quickly fall off on a school morning, and that’s why having a school morning routine is essential. We decided to ask the thousands of school mums in our Mouths of Mums community for their best tips to creating a fail-safe school morning routine, and their answers are literal gold!

Real Mum School Morning Routine Tips

From using tech to help tame the stress to clever lunch prep and how to get the kids to help (really!), these tips will have your school mornings running smoothly in no time.

Plan Ahead

If you’re able to carve out some time on the weekend and weeknights to prep what you can, it will make your mornings so much easier. Instead of the kids searching for socks, trying to finish homework or not having time for breakfast, you’ll find that everyone is far calmer if a few key things are ticked off ahead of time.

“Prepare lunches the night before, uniforms and shoes laid out at night, ensure all supplies needed for their day is in their bag the night before (hat, library bag, homework etc), have a to do check off chart for morning routine: make bed/get dressed/eat breakfast/hair and teeth/shoes on/pack lunch and water into bag etc.” – Kate

• Prepare lunches the night before, or freeze ahead
• Lay out uniforms (including socks and underwear) the night before – this means making sure the kids know if they have sport or not!
• Have a dedicated school socks tub or drawer
• Gather all supplies the night before including library bag, swimming gear, money etc.
• Use weekends for homework as much as possible

Combine Tasks

Mums are the masters of multitasking, so why not teach the kids to do it too? There’s so much to get done in the mornings, if you’re able to combine tasks things get ticked off much quicker.

For example, keep the sunscreen on the vanity in the bathroom and get the kids to apply it after they brush their teeth. Make healthy Breakfast Cookies that can also be packed in school lunches or use dinner leftovers for school lunches.

Use Tech Thoughtfully

Most of us are keen for the kids to ditch tech in the mornings, because it’s distracting. But it can actually be used to your advantage. Devices like Google Nest and Alexa can be programmed with a morning routine, and will broadcast alerts to keep everyone on track.

Use A Timer

In a similar way, our mums recommend timing out the morning routine and then setting alarms at intervals. It means tasks are getting ticked off quickly, and nothing is forgotten.

Create A ‘Drop Zone’

School means stuff. Lots of stuff. Between books, shoes, uniforms, lunch boxes, notes and library bags, it’s really easy to forget or misplace items. Lots of our mums have created dedicated school drop zones at home, where all of the kids’ school-related items are kept. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a corner with some storage. Bonus points if the kids are actually able to reach everything so they can be independent in the mornings.

Make It Fun!

It may seem counterproductive, but injecting some fun into the morning routine may actually help keep the kids focused. Reward them for ticking off tasks with some tech or playtime, and you’ll be surprised how much they want to help out!

“Playtime while I’m fixing breakfast then after eating we run through the list; teeth brushing, applying sunscreen, dressing, packing bags and what not then they can have screen time while I clean up the kitchen and get myself ready. As much as I would love to be in the position of leaving them to it, it’s just so much easier and more effective for all to be there and help.” – Kat

Share The Load

Remember you don’t have to do everything yourself. Besides getting the kids to help, make sure you and your partner are also able to split tasks to make life easier.

This might sound like a really simple thing but as a shift worker, sharing the load with dad. Some days, one will sort lunch and uniform, the other will do the puffer, teeth brushing and school drop off. Other days, one parent does everything and the next the other parent does everything. Just how our little one has grown up and is used to this process now. We find we’re more effective in the mornings working together as a team. – Nikki

Limit Distractions

Kids often want the comfort of the familiar when they wake up. That may be playing with their favourite toys, watching a TV show or playing on a tablet. Our mums swear by only using these things as a reward, once the morning routine is done.

“No technology/playing until everyone is dressed and ready to walk out the door.” – Courtney

We love that so many of our mums include applying sunscreen as part of the morning routine – it’s such a great way for sun protection to become second nature – just like the kids putting on their seatbelt every time they get in the car.

Gentle yet effective sun protection for your little ones, Banana Boat offers offers fun in the sun protection with lightweight, non-greasy formulas that are with 4-hour water resistance, perfect for kids’ delicate skin, so your family can enjoy being out in the sun.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Wear protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses in addition to sunscreen. Reapply frequently. Avoid prolonged high-risk sun exposure.

Mouths of Mums is proudly working with Banana Boat to bring you this article.