by Ambreen R

Created on: January 20, 2009

Getting kids ready for school can cause quite a chaotic environment in most homes everyday. No matter how much you think you are prepared for school morning, there will be some time consuming tasks waiting to be done from setting up breakfast, dressing up to last minute check if nothing has been left behind.

Recently I have had a first hand experience in getting my twin preschoolers ready to school for the first time in their and my life and this has been quite a learning experience for me. After an initial trial and error process, I have come up with some strategies to minimize the time and stress in getting them ready for school.

1- Put the kids to bed at reasonably early time. Now as easy as it may sound it is quite an extensive task and project in itself. For this you'll have to plan your day ahead of time, by limiting excessive physical activities the day before school day. Carry out regular activities with timely meals especially before bedtime so their natural cycle leads them to a decent bedtime. Since, I don't like waking my kids from their deep sleep in the morning so I put them to bed quite early at least 10.5 to 11 hours before their waking time. In this way they are well rested in the morning and they usually wake up on their own.

2- Prepare and pack their lunches the night before and stack them in the refrigerator. This will definitely reduce the chances of frantic moments in preparing or packing their meals at last minute and hunting their clean lunch boxes from the pile of dishes in sink.

3- Set up clothes right from the undershirt to the socks and shoes in the precise order. I find it really helpful to leave their undershirt on the night before and this will take minutes off the next day.

4- Put away the last night treats or junk food before they wake up in the morning. Out of sight and out of reach since it is very easy for your hungry waking child to get distracted by tempting snacks and create a fuss. There is nothing more frustrating than having to watch your little one feeding greedily on the chocolate chip cookies while you had spent quality time in cooking those scrambled eggs and pancakes.

5- Plan ahead for their breakfast item and if frozen items are on your list then make sure they are in stock and accessible in the morning. It can been quite stressful to locate that last box of waffles from your packed freezer only to realize that it contains the very last waffle and you'll have to come up with an alternative at the last minute.

6- Set

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