Are Mornings Driving You Crazy?

Sometimes it is the simplest, teeny tiny change that can make an enormous difference just when you need it most. Parents ask me all the time for suggestions they might try to turn around the difficulties they have getting everyone out the door on time with what they need in the morning. So when I saw the system this mom came up with, I knew I wanted to share it with you because it is WAY simple, very cheap to make, and highly adaptable. This mom has two older children with many tasks in each of their morning sequences; but, even toddler and two's parents could set one of these up using just two or three magnets for tasks kids are capable of doing themselves to keep the family on track in the mornings without a child or parental meltdown. You would just have to think through what tasks the child can do but tends to avoid or dawdle about.

The mom who developed this idea, Susan Kruger, happens to have a masters degree in education and specializes in study skills. She's also lived life in the deep trenches with two kids who both need an extra boost to help them stay on track through routine sequences. She created this out of her own frustration and desperation. To her delight it worked like a miracle. In fact after mornings worked so well she expanded the idea to include evenings and even vacation away routines which she says transformed everything for her family. Adapting your own version of her visual schedule/process approach combined with a visual timer will likely work at least 80% of the time for any child. And the timer is crucial, so along with the link to her detailed and illustrated article I'll list some links to simple visual timer products and visual timer apps you can download. Her system can be infinitely modified and can grow with your children through different ages and capabilities and task needs.

Why does this amazingly simple system work? I suspect just the act of moving their magnets to the "done" column gives the children an intrinsic sense of accomplishment which builds motivation to repeat doing what needs to be done. They are in control of tracking where they are in their routine and see each task so they can't "forget" something. It's reassuring. The child takes responsibility and learns to do these morning adaptive tasks more quickly with each repeat. The magnets and timer move them along without argument. Success breeds success, and parents remove themselves and the need for asking and nagging from the equation. If any of you parents try a version of this, I'd love to hear how it went for your fam. I like that she has just made a line down the center. One day the magnets get moved over the line to the other side, the next day they just get moved back over the line, no need to put the chart in order before using again--it's always ready.

I invite you to read Susan Kruger's full explanation and her experiences here:  Morning Magnets.
And here are links to the recommended visual timers:  Time Timer app, physical clock Time Timer
A link to writable magnets is here: Source for Magnets

Mornings can be maddening, but trying Susan's Morning Magnets idea could be your family's answer to more harmony and getting out the door on time and with a smile on all your faces!