Organization is an essential skill that most adults need to be successful. Sure, we all know someone who is a bit of a hot mess. They can never find their keys, misplace their phone constantly, and forgot to bring that snack that they signed up for last month. And to be honest, that’s me sometimes!
As adults, we have a million and one things on our minds at all times. That number grows ten-fold if you have kids. Not only do you have to remember all of your things, but you also have to remember everything for every child that you have. And with 4 kids, that means that my mind is juggling 5 schedules, routines, and important to-do’s at all times. It’s exhausting! But what if I told you that you could unload some of that on your child? It would make the daily grind much easier for you AND it would help your child get one step closer towards being an independent member of the family. Here is where you start:
Most likely, your child goes to school during the week. And if they are homeschooled, this will still work for you! In our home, school mornings include waking up, getting dressed, tidying rooms, breakfast, making lunches, filling water bottles, packing snacks, brushing teeth, styling hair, packing backpacks, getting shoes on, and getting in the car all before 8:00am. Phew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Now, could I do all of those things for my kids? Definitely. Does it make for a really long and stressful morning when I’m trying to do that x4 before driving the kids to school? Absolutely. And, with all of that on my mind am I bound to forget something? You betcha! So, what do we do?
We pass some of that responsibility along to our kids!
As I mentioned, I have 4 kids and they are all very different in some ways. One of those ways includes how they go about their mornings. I have one kiddo that gets up, gets dressed, and fills/packs his water bottle and snack before even thinking about playing. I have another who gets up and ready on his own but doesn’t do the water bottle or snack until I remind him after breakfast. And I have a third who just drags. It takes 17 reminders before we’ve even gotten out the door and the morning typically ends in frustration for one or both of us. But I sympathize because that was me as a child! I loved to sleep (still do!) and used to wedge myself between my bed and the wall so my Dad couldn’t get me out of bed in the morning, haha! And if he did successfully get me out of bed, I just went back to sleep on the floor. 😂 Love you Dad! I digress.
Because every child is different, we have to approach them in different ways to encourage that sense of independence. For my go-getter, it’s a simple conversation at night about what to do in the morning and he is on top of it. For my others, a visual reminder is more helpful. And to be honest, all 4 of my kiddos prefer a list or visual reminder. I do too! It frees up your mind to remember other things when you can glance at a list to get the mornings started.
So, what do you include on that list? That is completely up to you! I have 4 separate lists to keep my kiddos organized and focused throughout the day. Let me break them down:
Morning Checklist
I include the basics of what we would do every morning, regardless of what we are doing the rest of the day.
- Make bed
- Get dressed
- Tidy room
- Eat breakfast
- Brush teeth
- Do hair
There are plenty of other things that could be included, but I like to keep it simple in the mornings.
School Checklist
This list will be dependent on what your child needs to bring to school. Here is what we include:
- Backpack
- Lunch box
- Snack
- Water bottle
- Folder or agenda (or both)
- Homework
- Library book (they each have a specific day these are needed)
- Sunglasses
- Allergy bracelet (for my allergy kiddo)
If your kiddo buys lunch at school, you obviously wouldn’t need to include it here. And if your child has a laptop or iPad they bring back and forth, you would want to add it to their school checklist.
Related: Have a kiddo starting Preschool or Kindergarten? You need this in your life!
After School Checklist
This checklist will depend on your home rhythm. Do your kiddos come home and have free time? Do they go directly to sports? Are they in after school care until you get off of work? Adjust this checklist to match what your needs are as a family.
- Unpack backpack
- Unpack lunch box
- Homework
- Snack
- Tech time (we only do this on Wednesdays and Fridays)
- Play
I bet that your after-school list will look different than ours, and that is ok! With all of the different sports and activities, I have a very short window after the kids get home to when the crazy starts. So, I like to maximize what the kiddos can do to help me out before we are running in 3 different directions!
Evening Checklist
This is one more area where my kids can show some independence to make my life a little less frantic while trying to get all 4 of them to bed.
- Shower/bath
- Pajamas
- Snack
- Brush teeth
- Read
- Bed
Our evenings can be very different from one day to the next depending on if we had soccer, track, swimming, cub scouts, or if we spent the afternoon at home. But this list stands strong. We will always need to do those things to get everyone in bed. So, getting my kiddos in the habit of taking ownership over those activities makes it easier on me, and will help them in the future.
What Checklists are Right for You?
You may be wondering where to start with these. How many checklists do you need? Should you put them all on one page or create a separate sheet for each? And the honest answer is, every family is different! I run on lists and my kiddos have experienced that and tend to do the same.
If you don’t ever write anything down, start with one list. What is the biggest problem area during your day. Do you have a hard time getting your kids going in the morning? Start with a morning list. Is your little always forgetting their water bottle or homework? Give the school checklist a try! Maybe you just need some help at the end of the day when you are running on fumes. An evening checklist can be your best friend here.
And don’t feel like it needs to be fancy. A notecard and marker work perfect for checklists. Try it out and adjust before you put a lot of time and effort into making a nice one!
Build Those Independent Kids!
Independence is one of the best things that we can teach our children. It can be hard if they resist or if you simply want to do everything for your kiddos because it brings you happiness. Just start small and remember, the more independence you teach your child now, the more likely they are to carry that into adulthood and do amazing things!
Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend. As always, you can find us on Pinterest and see what we are up to on Instagram. Happy checklist making!