Your children may have already started school or may be starting soon, but getting a routine that keeps everyone on schedule takes a few weeks to master. Here are a few ideas to help streamline the process of getting ready so children make their bus.

• Get homework, permission slips, lunch money, and anything else that is needed ready the night before.
• Wake children up 1 hour before school is scheduled to start. This should provide enough time to do all of the morning preparations needed without too much stress.
• Have children dress, brush hair, and brush teeth before they come down for breakfast.
• For the most productivity in your morning, make a No-TV-Before-School Rule. It tends to make children lethargic and irritable when you need them to be focused and agreeable.
• Have a list of favorite healthy breakfast ideas ready so that little time is spent in indecision.
• Make lunches either the night before or while children are eating their breakfast.
• Have a list of healthy lunch options available for easy reference.
• Set a time for 10 or 15 minutes in order to complete a few chores before school: feed pets, make beds, pick up rooms, etc.
• Make sure shoes, jackets, and backpacks are easily accessible to children.
• Start putting on shoes, jackets, and backpacks about 10 minutes prior to the bus or carpool.

ListPlanIt.com has everything you need to help you and your student get Back to School!  You’ll find pages to plan out routines, plan lunches, keep schedules of extracurricular activities, and much more.