Starting the day with an effective and reliable morning routine makes a HUGE difference. Today I am going to share a family “recipe” for the perfect morning routine. The Big Five.
Say it with me. Bed. Prayers. Teeth. Hair. Face.
Doesnt that have such a nice “roll off the tongue” feel to it?!
The Big Five
My mom used this simple and memorable routine to raise her 13 kids. It was a part of growing up in a home where kids needed to learn some independence. Being able to remeber what was expected of us in the morning was as easy as Bed. Prayers. Teeth. Hair. Face.
We could rattle off the list so fast. And even better, we could complete the tasks without too much reminding or supervising needed (at a certain age at least).
Why A Morning Routine Matters
Starting the day off right sets the pace for everyone! Having an expectation for what a morning should look like gives everyone some much needed structure to get up and going. A morning routine ensures that the little things get done before the hustle and bustle of the day leaves the 5 year old in Pj’s until after lunch.
Also, having a morning routine helps with sleep. Funny enough, having some structure to what it looks like to “wake up” helps little brains learn the difference between sleep time and wake time.
Morning routines teach skills, and independence while establishing structure and predictablility that hep reduce anxiety and stress. For the kids and you 😉
Giving Kids Responsibility
Starting the day off with some ownership of “what I need to do” is soooo good for little ones! Learning a routine is good as early as the newborn stage. And getting the kids invovled in that routine as soon as they can walk or talk or just participate in some way… well it’s awesome for everyone invovled!
Kiddo learns what they can do! Mom gets to hand off some responsibility slowly… and lets just say, independence in making a bed or brushing hair… its good life skill building! (although you will end up with interesting hair styles and some pretty scraggly looking beds). The point is that your little ones can take on responsibility and they will usually rise to the occasion and take great pride in their tasks.
Keeping the Morning Routine Simple
The reason I love The Big Five so much is it is so simple! You can adapt to best fit your needs too (not everyone washes their face in the morning for example). Easy, one word, can do tasks make for a win for the whole family.
A simple morning means a quick win and a good start. Even if those teeth brushes are fast, the beds are not sooo pretty, or the prayers are real short…. Bed. Prayers. Teeth. Hair. Face…. well even a halfhearted attempt is a win for a 3 year old. And their very proud Mother of course.
So use or adapt the Big Five and make your morning simple! I choose not to use charts or check off lists for this one. If that works for you, or you want a reminder or a Big Five poster… well it’s your lucky day! Download one here.
Here is to good mornings for all!
