Teaching Responsibility: A Morning Routine for Kids
Ever had one of those mornings when nothing was done by 11 a.m.? Me too… until I started teaching responsibility with a morning routine for kids. Read on!
Ever had one of those mornings when no one was dressed and no teeth had been brushed by 11 a.m.? Have you ever thought, “How am I going to teach these kids responsibility if they can’t even remember to put their shoes in the closet?” Believe me, I have too. In fact, nearly EVERY day was like that until we started this morning routine for kids.
Why You Need a Morning Routine for Kids
I have never been much of a clingy-helicopter type of mom. It’s always been my goal that my children would take responsibility, learn independently, and thrive as a result. Through many years in the classroom, I became fully convinced that children learn better when given the tools and resources. They learn better when we as parents don’t hover, allowing them space to figure some things out.
But I found myself floundering as a parent. How do we accomplish this “independent” thing? Should we just throw our kids in the “deep end” of responsibility and hope they learn to swim before they drown?
Of course not. They need our direction and guidance. They just don’t need our micromanaging of every detail of their lives. So the answer is simple. Like everything else in life, it’s a gradual and intentional process. For our family, this begins with the morning checklist.
When my kids were young, I created a really simple checklist to help them stay on track. We’d print it out, slip it into a page protector, and they’d check off each task with a dry erase marker as they went through their day. It worked so well for building habits and routines!
Now, I’ve taken that same idea and built it right into the Primary Homeschool Planner. The daily checklist is designed to help young learners develop independence while keeping things simple and fun.
A Morning Routine for Kids that Teaches Responsibility
Step 1: Time with God
We use the Devotional Journal for morning devotions. The journal rotates through 4 different study pages, giving them a variety of ways to study various passages. We typically work our way through a book of the Bible as a family. I will write an assigned passage in the blank most days and the child fills in their quiet time journal sheet.
Spending time in God’s Word is a great habit that they can start developing at a young age. It can start of short and simple and then over the years progress to something more in-depth. Having a daily reminder about the importance of God’s Word is a simple step towards independence.
Step 2: Breakfast and clean-up
If you’ve been around this blog long, you know that the idea of “breakfast stations” saved my life. All 4 of my kids can prepare their own breakfast with the food I’ve prepped ahead of time.
When the kids were young, I would spend one day prepping foods like muffins, energy balls, pre-portioned oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, etc., to last a couple of months. Now that they’re older, we work together to prep and freeze breakfast options. Then during the week the kids can choose one of the prepared items for a quick but healthy breakfast. After they eat, they’re then responsible for cleaning up their dishes. It saves time. It fosters independence. It keeps me from losing my mind over meal time. Win-win-win.
Maybe it wouldn’t take me a very long time to clean up breakfast dishes. But the goal is to teach kids that they have a responsibility with their space. They live in this home so they too need to play a role in keeping the space tidy. Establishing simple (but super helpful) systems in the home makes our lives that much easier as homeschoolers.
Step 3: Chores
My kids all have morning chores. They need to brush their hair and teeth, get dressed, and tidy their room. It should be pretty clean because we always do that before bed, but sometimes pj’s and such don’t get where they belong in the morning.
The last line in the chores section is for their daily chore zone. Usually it is not done in the morning, but we write it here as a reminder. Implementing chores is such an important thing for us to do as parents. Not only does it help keep our house clean (Can I get an “amen”?) it also teaches work ethic, builds a sense of loyalty to the family, and helps them learn to work for others.
Step 4: Keeping the right focus
The last step before beginning our school for the day is to make sure our focus is in the right place. I ask the question, “Who will you serve today?” The goal is to get my kids to think more about others than their own agenda for the day.
Of course, our kids are human like us. They need continual reminders to put others ahead of themselves, but writing it down is a great way to begin the day.
Step 5: Start school assignments
Once they’ve gotten their body, their space, and their soul ready for the day, it’s time to begin school!
It’s amazing how different their attitudes are when they take the time to start the day off right, rather than slipping into the day without purpose.
One day (sooner than we can believe!) our children will grow up and be sent out into this world. They will have roommates and possibly a spouse or kids, and if we want them to live responsibly in the future, then the teaching begins now.
It may sound simple, but simple is the best way to begin. When something is simple, momentum can build!
GET YOUR FREE BACK TO SCHOOL PRINTABLES:
In an effort to make starting the school day smoother, I’ve put together a few free printables to help! You’ll also find some fun and practical “back to school” ideas—perfect for any point in the year when you need a fresh start
I pray that these free printables bless your family and help you to bless others this year. You can get the FREE printables by signing up below.
Through practical tools & Bible-based resources, Kim Sorgius is dedicated to helping your family GROW in faith so you can be Not Consumed by life’s struggles. Author of popular kid’s devotional Bible studies and practical homeschooling tools, Kim has a master’s degree in education and curriculum design coupled with over 2 decades of experience working with kids and teens. Above all, her most treasured job is mother and homeschool teacher of four amazing kiddos.
Thank you! I’ve been looking for ways to keep us organized as God adds to our family. Routines seem to be very important, especially to my one little guy; and I’m trying to stay on top of my responsibilities and teach my children theirs.
I have been trying to get the download and still haven’t received it. Can you help please?
Thanks for letting me know. I’ve fixed this issue. You should be able to get it now.
My kids are a bit younger than yours (oldest is 7), do you have something your youngest does for the quiet time/bible reading time?
My kids don’t really start their own quiet time until they are old enough to read the Bible and understand on their own. This is usually around age 9. Before that, we read the Bible together and go through a lot of the studies I’ve written. The little ones sit in when we talk about what we have learned in our quiet time and are very excited once old enough to have their own.
I am looking at your breakfast bar Kim, and just the description here and the name sounds amazing, and like it’s could be such a blessing to our family, but as u followed the link I guess I’m just unsure of what I am purchasing?!… I’m completely willing to purchase, but just wanted to know what it is I’m getting… Is it simply a shopping list and recuprs, or is it an idea/program that just includes those things?? Because as I stated, it sounds amazing based on your description on this post, but when I go there it’s not clear to me what it is, and I can’t tell if it’s just some list and the idea is as simple as you prepare all the recipes and they are all offered… Or if you have to purchase for the details and the “how to”… If it’s that and will shed light I’m glad to purchase, but I’m not necessarily interested in just a list of breakfast recipes, as we have kind of a specific diet and I feel I may end up having to put together a list myself anyways. PLEASE let me know, as I am anxious! Thanks! 🙂
Richelle
Hi Richelle,
The DIY breakfast stations are recipes, labels, grocery lists, and everything you would need to put together make-ahead meals to help your child become more independent with their breakfast in the morning. This link will give you a full description of what is included with this digital product. https://www.notconsumed.com/breakfaststation
Suzanne@Not Consumed
I can’t find the breakfast station information anywhere. I’ve tried searching the blog, searching the shop, searching google. All the links to it I’ve found are dead. Is there someone I can email who could send me the info?
You can email us at joy@notconsumed.com with any questions. 🙂
I love this! I’m so happy to have stumbled upon your site. I’ve going to use this with my 10 year old and make something similar for my 15 year old.
I love this, but need something a bit more mature looking for my older kids-My youngest is 10.
Am grateful for all this ideas you have shared with us all. I am a young mom taking on new role as a home schooling mom and believe me it a big deal but with your ideas I see better days ahead ?
I am so excited to be subscribed to your blog now that we are beginning our homeschooling adventure at 2nd and 4th grade! I need all of the help I can get with these boys ?.
I tried to click the printable link and the site seems to be down/ not working to be able to sign up. Could you please assist? Or do I need a specific browser to view these on?
I would love to get the checklist and the breakfast bar ideas printables. Can you point me to these resources?
Hi Julie,
We don’t have a printable for breakfast bar ideas but you can find the morning checklist in the “Back to School” printables. You can request those printables in the box near the bottom of the post.
Please email us at joy@notconsumed.com if you have questions!
Suzanne@NotConsumed
I do not see an image for the free morning routine printables?
Hi Laura! I’m sorry about that. You may want to turn off your pop up blocker or try using a different web browser or device to open this page. That usually solves the problem!
June 8, 2022
Hello Kim,
I’m on the page looking for the free printable
morning checklist for kids but unable to find image to click on . Please help me with this issue. Thank you and God bless you.
Very grateful,
E. Horne
Hi,
You should be able to sign up there now! I apologize for the trouble!
Thanks for the sample schedule! What does your routine as a homecoming, working Mom look like?
Here is a blog post that might be helpful: https://www.notconsumed.com/simple-homeschool-schedule-for-working-moms/. 😉
Please send me the morning routine free printable!
Hi Melissa, You can sign up for it here: https://www.notconsumed.com/a-morning-routine-for-kids-that-teaches-responsibility/. 😉
Whilst this is a truly lovely idea and the kind’ve thing I am looking for, I would have to wake my children up at 430am to get all this done, as I live in South Africa and have to leave the house by 6am (at the latest) to get them to school for 7am.
The lesson I’d most like to get across is taking ownership of homework, the other things both my 9 and 4-year-olds are pretty good with, but I’m constantly getting letters from the teachers for incomplete homework for my 9-year-old son and I work 2 jobs from 8am to 10pm and don’t always have the time to check up on him.
Any advice on this would be most welcome!
Do you print one for each day? Do you laminate it for use over and over? Thank you.
Either one could be a great option, but lamination might the most cost effective! -Annie, NCM Team