The School Run: How To Get Your Kids Out Of The House On Time
The School Run: How To Get Your Kids Out Of The House On Time
Wednesday 9th August 2017
The summer holidays are almost over and it’s time to get routine ready. The school run comes with all kinds of early morning parental duties, but just how do you crack them? There’s a real art to making sure the kids – along with their uniform, packed lunches and workbooks – are ready to leave the house in time for the school bell without a fuss. We’ve put together 10 top tips on how to manage a smooth sailing school run.
1. Lay clothes out the night before
Set out uniform in your child’s bedroom. This will save a lot of time, particularly if you find there’s an item missing in the morning.
2. Finish all homework and have bags packed
Run through all homework and tick off a school bag and workbook list the night before.
3. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes
Set your child’s alarm 15 minutes earlier than usual – this will help if there are any unexpected delays in the morning. Extra time will also provide a healthy dose of parent-child interaction before school begins.
4. Have lunch prepped
If your child takes a packed lunch to school, be sure to have everything prepped and packed the night before.
5. Have transport organised
Be prepared and keep up to date with your child’s form of transport – whether that’s checking bus times, getting your car ready or setting off at a sensible time for walking.
6. Have breakfast out on the table
Give yourself plenty of time for breakfast before dashing for the door. Be sure to keep the offering as quick and as simple as possible.
7. Be strict with timings
Get your child to bed on time and have alarms set the night before.
8. Prepare kit or equipment
Have kit prepared for any extracurricular activities or afterschool clubs.
9. Encourage your child to get ready alone
Giving your child independence on a morning will pay off. This will free up time for you to prepare yourself as well as breakfast, bags and transport.
10. Get into a good routine that can be repeated each day
Make sure your child is familiar with the daily routine so that there are no unexpected distractions. You can make this fun by setting goals, so that getting ready for school doesn’t feel like such a chore.