We caught up with Kate Henebury owner of The Little Gym Harrogate and mum of three on her secrets for ensuring stress free school mornings (if such a thing exists!!)
Do you ever feel like you are talking to yourself, shouting instructions at your child in an attempt to leave the house on time? With three children to get out the house, sometimes by 7.10am if they are getting the bus, Kate shares her tactics:
1. Reinstate the bedroom routine: When I spoke with Kate at 9.20am on one morning in the school holidays all her children were still asleep as like most routines get lax and bedtimes get later in the summer holidays. Kate suggests reinstating the bedtime routine a good few days before school starts as it takes a while for body clocks to readjust and helps prevent even grumpier children in a morning!
2. Adjust to your child’s personality: Kate’s children all have different characters. Her eldest knows the routine and doesn’t react well to been harassed so she leaves her to it where as the middle child is more “away with the fairies” and will quite happily waste 10 minutes pulling selfies in the bathroom mirror when she should be brushing her teeth. For her Kate is very clear on what needs to be completed by when and gives her ten minute warnings on most of the tasks. Her youngest leaves everything to the last minute but is a ‘just in time character’ and still manages to get everything complete by just doing the job in hand and not getting distracted like the older girls.
3. Clarify the morning routine with the kids: Kate admits during term time she is a stickler for routine in a morning and finds going through the routine and timings with the children helps for calmer mornings for all. They have the routine written out (she used to use images before they could read) on the fridge so everyone can see the “key times” and Kate can calmly say “its 7am should we be thinking about getting shoes on”. As the children got older Kate said she found getting the children to “buy into” the routine and letting them have their input helped them feel empowered and reduced the amount of barking of instructions (teeth, hair, shoes). Another tip for when they are younger is playing music and explaining what tasks they need to have completed by the time the song stops! Kate also gives them a countdown from ten minutes as to when they will need to leave the house so there are no surprises!
4. Encourage independence: Kate encouraged, from an early age, that each of her children are responsible for getting themselves dressed (and doing it as soon as they get up), school bags, choosing breakfast (quick fixes during the week) and they also have their own jobs to complete each morning such as feeding the pets and emptying the dishwasher. Whilst Kate said it was tempting to just do it herself when they were younger she found encouraging independence has paid off now they are older.
5. Get organised the night before: Kate is a firm believer in the more you do the night before the less harassed mornings will be. Homework, uniform out, sports kits, pack ups and after school activity logistics are all sorted the night before. A good tip from Kate if you are a mum of girls is ask them how they want their hair, the girls kept asking for two french plaits when this had not been built into the morning routine so they are aware they need to think ahead on this now and build in 10 minutes more in a morning!
6. Reduce distractions: Kate doesn’t allow TV or screen-time in a morning mainly because time is so tight and she found it just created another distraction and then argument when she asked them to stop. She does however say if they get everything complete and have time to spare before they need to leave then they can have ten minutes watching TV before they leave.
7. Organise yourself: Kate admits often when they run behind in a morning it is due to her not getting up in time and getting herself/house organised before she wakes the children. She therefore tries to keep to her own morning routine as much as possible – that way you don’t feel like you have run a marathon by 9am! Another tip from Kate is check in with other parents regarding after-school activities. With three children often doing different after-school activities she shares pick ups/teas with other parents. She makes sure there is time in the morning routine to run through the logistics for after school. At busy times in the school year she makes sure she sets herself reminders for one off events such as non-uniform days or bake sales.
As much as possible Kate tries too keep the mornings fun as it is not a great way to start the day for anyone if everyone is shouting at one another! If things don’t go to plan, and there will always be the odd drama, make sure you always all leave the house with a smile and kiss (if this is still cool!)
For every stage of your child’s development from 4 months to 12 years. The Little Gym offers a diverse line up of classes, camps and parties filled with movement, music, learning and laughter. Your little ones will make friends, reach developmental milestones and build self confidence while having ‘Serious Fun’.
