How organising with your child in mind impacts your routines!
I am on the panel at the Clean and Tidy Home Show on October the 9th, 11.30am in the Excel Centre! Come on down! Get your tickets here:
Now the children are back at school routines are so important to help everything run smoothly. While planning the morning routine- getting dressed, breakfast, packing lunch, teeth, hair and the school run is a great start, decluttering and organising your home to support these routines is so important.
Getting dressed- help your child get into the habit of choosing their outfit the night before. Have a list of what they need each day stuck on the wardrobe (if your child is young, have pictures as well as words). This helps them for their future but the immediate affect is their autonomy in the morning. If the outfit is out and ready, they are more likely to put it on. Of course, they might need help with buttons or ties (you can tie these the night before and adjust it to take it over the head to make that even quicker too)
Decluttering their clothes so they only have what fits and what they needs also helps them to be independent. Keeping uniform and sports kit separately from day to day clothes makes it easier for them to pull it out the night before. Organise their drawers by rolling each item and colour coordinating so they are all visible- this stops them from pulling everything out and they know where to put it back. Avoid keeping dressing up clothes in their usual clothes.
Breakfast- As the mornings get inevitably colder, I love to batch cook breakfasts (get the children involved in making them) such as savoury scones and blueberry pancake bites from Annabelle Karmels recipe books which can be frozen. Just pull them out the night before and pop them in the oven for a few minutes while they are getting dressed. You can also make egg muffins or overnight oats the night before. Staying away from sugary cereals at breakfast time avoids the sugar crash and protein helps their brain as well as keeping them fuller for longer. You can even make smoothies the night before and pack them with fruit and veg. Add oats to help them stay fuller for longer.
Out of site, out of mind really helps in the morning. Some things are not breakfast foods. Saying that, you wouldn't like being told what to eat everyday. Give them a choice of two or three choices (not too many as that causes overwhelm) If you're having a hot breakfast, th choice should be made with them the night before. Decluttering your food cupboards means you only have what you love to eat, using height to keep the things you need daily to hand. It's quite fun to check the dates on tins with children- what's the oldest one you can find? While best before dates are a guideline, if the date is over two years, you probably don't like that food- commit to using it or get rid.
Create a drawer that is accessible for the children so they can help set the table and help them get into the routine of putting their dirty things by the sink after breakfast.
Packed lunches- just like the uniform and the breakfasts, it's best if you can do as much as possible the night before. Organising your fridge so you have the options for them to pick in the morning to easily pop in their bag will make them feel like they have a choice- (remember, you wouldn't like it if you were told what to eat all the time) but reducing the amount of options to stop overwhelm. To support than to have a healthy relationship with food, it's important to talk about balance and nutrition now. Just like the list on the wardrobe, have a list on the fridge using pictures as well as words if your children can't fully read yet. We need protein, carbohydrates, dairy and nutrients (offer a vegetable and a fruit daily) so let them pick one of each to fill up their bag. If they have chosen what is in it, they are far more likely to eat it all.
Want to know more? Buy More to Organising. https://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Organising-Become-Independent-Easier/dp/B09PW2D1WC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1N3
Or if you are in the London area, book an in-person session by emailing me at moretoorganising@gmail.com
Not in London? Don't worry. I have online packages too.
Check out the rest of the website for testimonials and packages.
Love Kat x