2 Tips to Simplify School Mornings for Military Kids
by Rebecca Alwine - August 20th, 2022
Mornings in our military household are a little hectic. There's a toddler, two elementary school kids, the dog that really wants to accompany us to the bus stop, and of course, my service member husband has leaves for work 3 hours before we get going.
We’re on day 8 of back to school in my house, and we’ve made some changes this year. Like many military families, we moved this summer, which means a new house and new school district. It also means both of my kids are attending the same school! They get to ride the bus, and it comes at 7:05 am.
The summer was full of change, sometimes late nights, and rare mornings where they slept past 7 am. We knew that once school started, things were going to change. Instead of slowly working up to the early morning wake up, we just went for it. The first day of school, we woke up at 6:30 am and off we went.
I quickly figured out that planning the night before was essential. Here are my tips to streamline school mornings with your military kids.
How to simplify school mornings for your military kids
1. Prepare for school mornings the night before
I know this sounds super simple, but planning ahead makes a huge difference. Our bedtime routine starts before dinner with preparation for the next morning. We do the following every night, and it really helps.
Homework check
I’ve never allowed homework to be completed in the morning. There simply isn’t time for that. Before we move into dinner, one of us checks homework, reads through the papers from school, and signs the agenda.
Pick out clothes
This has eliminated all fights about clothes and “I don’t have any socks!” conversations. Well, now we fight over clothes in the evening instead of at 6:30 am. This allows time for an emergency load of laundry.
Do chores
Last year my kids had plenty of time to do chores in the morning before school. Not this year, so I make sure they have done their chores before dinner in preparation for the next day.
Pack backpacks
Yes, gather all the papers, folders, books, supplies, instruments, and assignments the night before. If someone is missing something in the morning, they may have to leave without it.
Prepare breakfast
Measure out cereal or oatmeal into sealed containers so they just have to add milk. My kids are very into overnight oats right now, so they make their breakfast the night before.
Prep lunches
I lay out the Tupperware and the non-perishables on the counter, so I have a quick assembly line of lunches. In the morning, I add the sandwich, cheese, and fruit or vegetable, to minimize the number of trips I’m making to the pantry.
Talk about schedules
If there are changes to the schedule for the next day; we talk about them at dinner. That way there are no surprises or last minute directions in the morning.
2. Give military kids consistent school morning routines
My children thrive on routines and schedules. It’s one of the things that makes summer and weekends so challenging. And military life isn't know for steady predictability. So I create that steady structure for hem with a consistent school morning routine. It's important to have a morning routine that runs smoothly without your service member. So if they go to work earlier than usual, or spend time away training, then the kids won't have trouble making it to their school on time.
Now that we’re almost two weeks in, the school morning routine has become second nature. They get up, get dressed, eat breakfast and the mornings run quite smoothly.
If something doesn’t work, or you have an “off” morning, just alter the plan until it fits what you need. I had no idea if we could do everything in 30 minutes in the morning. But it’s working. And a morning with no tears, no yelling, and everyone happy as they board the bus is totally worth a little prep work ahead of time.
We’re not quite a well-oiled machine, but we’re running pretty organized over here. With a little planning, you can too!
Rebecca Alwine is an Army wife, mother of three and lover of her adorable pirate dog. Over the past 15 years, she’s discovered she enjoys coffee, lifting weights and most of the menial tasks of motherhood. Her days consist of working out in her garage gym, audiobooks and pretending to cook while her Instant Pot and Air Fryer do all the work. Her motto: work smarter, not harder.
