Morning Routines

There is value in a morning routine!

What is your morning routine? Do you have one? Are you the kind of person that gets up and does the same 3-5 steps everyday? Let me guess:

• Go the restroom
• Brush your teeth
• Make the coffee
• Make your Bed?

I’m willing to bet that you have 3-5 steps that you do everyday. Is making your bed one of them?

The Power of Making your Bed

It is said that those who make their bed in the morning will be more productive and ready to tackle their day in a more positive way. What’s the big deal? Right? Well, the big deal is that when you accomplish a task especially when it is part of a routine, your brain is signaled to be ready for what is next.

In the book, “The Power of Habit,” by Charles Duhigg, he explains that daily bed-making is a keystone habit, something that kickstarts a chain of other good decisions throughout the day, and gives you a sense of taking charge. Duhigg claims that these keystone habits lead to a greater sense of well-being and leads to a more positive and productive day. Pretty impressive results, simply for taking a minute or two to pull up the sheets and comforter.

The Morning Routine

Whether at home or at school, having a morning routine is much like what this Navy Seal explains about making your bed each morning. It prepares you for accomplishing even more. It gives you a sense of pride. It makes you feel ready and prepared for the day.

As a teacher and a mom, I’m a big fan of morning routines. The routines you set in place, become a trigger for the brain to know what is next. Routines help your brain organize thoughts, access information needed, and motivates you to execute a task. I want to share with you some examples of different morning routines.

The Summer Morning Routine for my kids:

Blinds & Bed, Teeth & Hair

My kids are responsible for getting their own breakfast and cleaning it up, doing one chore each day, and reading for 20min. However, before my kids are allowed to venture out into the neighborhood to play, they have to do the simple morning routine that I call Blinds & Bed, Teeth & Hair:

• Open your Blinds, Make your Bed
• Brush your Hair, Brush your Teeth

The School Day Morning Routine (at home with my kids)

This has been an ever changing process in our house. It’s no secret that getting out of the house and to school is quite a chore in this house (and I don’t think I’m alone). For years, I’ve been trying to understand why it’s so difficult for my kids to get out of the house and off to school. I used to blame the chaos on the fact that I was a full time working mom and that I had to get to work. But now, I’m lucky enough to be home with them and it’s still a struggle. There is likely one kid in tears, or somebody that leaves the house without their stupid mask, or at the last minute they can’t find a shoe or glove…LOL Sound familiar???

Well, I found the answer, and you can read about it here in my blog article titled Tackling the Morning Routine. In this article you learn about a method called Get Ready, Do, Done. This was created by Sarah Ward, SLP. It. is. brilliant!

This strategy helps take your child through the process backwards in order to plan, initiate, and execute a task. Well…here is the great news: I created a version of it for our morning routine, and gave it a try…and guess what???

IT WORKED!!!

The Classroom Morning Routine

Most teachers have a Morning Routine posted in their room. I’ve done it many different ways. I have found that creating it together as a class is the most effective. However, in my own kindergarten classroom, I already had it done and taught it on the very first day of school through modeling. I think it’s important to spend ample time on mastering this routine until it becomes habit. This way the brain will be triggered for what is next and the students will be ready and prepared for learning. Having a solid morning routine is one way to develop Executive Function Skills. These skills are vital to overall achievement and success. Click here to read about more strategies for developing executive function skills in your own classroom.

Have a clear morning routine.  No matter what grade you teach, you need to have a morning routine posted on the wall where everyone can see it.   The best way to show a process is by using a flow chart.  The pictures below are examples of Morning Flow Charts that can be used in any grade level.  You can grab your own copy of them here.

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Other Keystone Habits

While starting the day off right by making your bed is indeed a keystone habit, a habit that will unintentionally roll over in other parts of your day, developing a morning routine for your students will do the same. However, it’s not just in the morning that we have these keystone habits.

• When I wash my face and brush my teeth at the end of the day, it signals my brain that it’s time for bed.
• When I shower and get ready for the day, I’m much more productive, then when I stay in my comfy clothes and relax.
• When I read to my kids at night and say our prayers, it calms them and signals to their brain that it is time to sleep.
• When I drink my “energize” (pre-workout drink) It signals to my brain that its time to work out!

You see, these keystone habits are more than just habits. They signal our brain, which accesses the information we need to initiate a task and execute the task. It also starts the process of organizing the information needed. This is all done by the brain’s executive functioning. Creating good habits will promote development of these skills.

Enjoy Being Their Difference,