5 ways to encourage your child to be excited for school in the morning

We all have mornings that are harder to get out of bed than others. But it’s distressing to see your elementary schooler moping around or fighting you every step of the morning. Julie Meyers Pron, a parent of 3 and elementary teacher who writes parenting and education advice at Julieverse.com, shares her advice.

Here are 5 tips for parents to get your child out of the house and on the school bus or in front of the computer if they’re attending an Online Elementary School:

Establish a routine

Just like you do at bedtime, establish a morning routine. If your child awakes at the same time every morning and has to follow the same steps, his morning is set to operate more smoothly. A typical morning schedule includes:

• bathroom
• wash face
• get dressed
• eat breakfast
• brush teeth
• morning activity

Make time for a morning activity

When kids have free time and are unsure of what to do with it, it gives them an opportunity to worry about the day ahead. Rather, brainstorm a few fun activities that will start his mind moving and still be low-stress. Puzzles, coloring, word searches and reading with a sibling are great activites to start a morning off right. And if it’s a beautiful day, suggest playing in the backyard to get the blood pumping.

Pack up the night before

This is one of my favorite tips because it makes my mornings less stressful, too. The kids and I pack lunches and backpacks as soon as they finish homework the afternoon or evening before so that they’re completely ready to go. Running around grabbing everything you need will only make it harder to make the bus, but when you just have to grab the backpack and lunch bag and go, life gets a lot simpler.

Discuss expectations

Don’t avoid an unpleasant discussion instead help your child to face his concerns. Just like at dinner when you ask your child his favorite thing about his day, ask him what he’s most looking forward to at school today, and what he’s not sure about. When you have this discussion while eating, it becomes a comforting conversation and helps him focus on what’s ahead–letting you know if there are any areas you need to know about. If he raises concerns, discuss them with him, helping him to find possible solutions.

Let the teacher know

If dragging to school has become a consistent issue, it’s definitely time to let the teacher know. Perhaps there is a problem on the school bus, or your child isn’t meshing with the morning routine of the classroom. Open the discussion with the teacher as soon as possible to both gain insight and give her insight, and come up with a plan together.

About the author:

Julie Meyers Pron has been called a “Momcyclopedia” and a “real life Google.” A mom to three, wife, educator, marketer, cheerleader, budding organizer, and me-time enthusiast, Julie shares her knowledge, lifestyle tips, business-savvy suggestions and real life stories helping you to parent confidently while remaining your stylish self. Founder, owner and producer of #VlogMom and lead-everything at Julieverse, Julie taught 6th grade special education, 2nd and 4th grades before leaving the chalkboard. Read her blog, Julieverse, follow her on twitter and YouTube, and, go ahead, “like” her facebook page.