7 Easy Ways To Make Your Morning With The Kids Less Stressful

    More prepping, less screaming.

    Tom Vellner
    by Tom Vellner

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Does getting your kids out the door in the morning look something like this:

    ABC / Via giphy.com

    We feel ya. These organization hacks should help your morning run a little more smoothly:

    1. Put together a chores timer to get them excited about finishing their routine.

    Kenah Trusewich / BuzzFeed

    Turning things like making their bed and picking up their clothes into a game could — fingers crossed — make things go a little faster. So, to make this here contraption, remove the face of an egg timer. Draw a donut shape on your paper, the inner circle being the same diameter as the face of the egg timer face, and another circle bordering it one inch away. Like a pie chart, divide out your timer with the chores you need them to complete in the morning, and then decorate however you want. Cut out your circle and place it onto the body of the egg timer, and mount the face back on. Turn the dial to start their cleaning sprint, and see if they can complete all of their tasks before the alarm goes off!

    2. Prepare their outfits for the week with hanging shelves.

    Tiger Souvannakoumane / BuzzFeed

    Hang the shelves from their closet rod, and then fill the cubbies with an outfit for each day of the week — so the only scrambling you're doing in the morning is making those eggs, not finding an outfit at the last minute.

    3. Set up a command center where you can hang a backpack, leave notes, and write a to-do list.

    Tiger Souvannakoumane / BuzzFeed

    Choose a spot in your home, preferably by the door, where you can create a small space to organize everything they'll need (and need to know) before they leave for school. You can hang a corkboard with sweet notes or reminders, and hang a whiteboard with a to-do list and a fun menu for the week. Stick an adhesive hook to the wall, too, where they can hang up their backpack instead of throwing it on the floor of their room, and then leave their shoes beneath it.

    4. Create a routine chart.

    Tiger Souvannakoumane / BuzzFeed

    Rather than go back and forth on their to-do list every morning — Did you go potty? Did you make your bed?? Did you pack your lunch??? — make a cute paper chart for your kids that'll help them keep track of everything.

    Take a piece of paper, fold the top inward, and then fold the bottom inward so that it overlaps the top a bit. Staple the top of the paper without stapling the bottom. Next, cut the bottom half of the paper to turn it into folding tabs. Write "done" on the outside of each tab, and write and draw out each task on the inside area when the tab is lifted. Tape it onto the wall and voilà! They can fold up each tab as they finish their tasks, and feel like a little superhero.

    5. Have egg and spinach pockets for breakfast, which are easy enough for your kids to help cook.

    Devin Rogerino / BuzzFeed

    Here's a breakfast that's as quick as it is nutritious. All you need are a couple of pita pockets, 1/4 cup scrambled eggs, 1/4 cheddar cheese, and 1/4 cup spinach. Cut an edge off the pita pockets, stuff them with the ingredients, and pop them in the toaster! They'll be gooey and delicious in no time, and will give your kids some extra brain fuel before school.

    6. Make a portable spelling activity kit to keep them occupied while you're scrambling those eggs.

    Angela Corbelli / BuzzFeed

    Paint a bunch of popsicle sticks in various bright colors, write a word on each stick in permanent marker, and add them to a tin with magnetic letters. Whatever popsicle stick they pull out, they have to spell that word on the backside of the lid with those magnetic letters! You'll keep 'em sharp before school, and keep 'em out of your hair so you can stay on track in the morning.

    7. And prep lunches for the week, then store them in bins in your fridge, separated by sandwiches, snacks, and drinks.

    Tiger Souvannakoumane / BuzzFeed

    For easy meal prep, make some turkey and ham sandwiches with cheese, and wrap them in parchment paper. Put some cut veggies or sliced fruit into small plastic bags. Then, add both to a bin labeled “lunch."

    With your leftover turkey, ham, and cheese, cut them into bite-size squares and pack them into small plastic bags with crackers. Add those, plus some fruit cups, string cheese, and clementines, to a bin labeled "snacks."

    Last but not least, add drinks and yogurt into a bin labeled — you guessed it — “drinks/yogurt." With these labeled bins in the fridge, your kids can quickly pick an item from each and toss them right into their lunchbox.