School mornings can get CRAZY! You may find that you are yelling at your kids to get moving, threatening to take away some serious privilege, or even running around trying to get out the door on time. Source Well, ideally, that's not a good idea. Right? I don't like yelling at my kids, nor is it something that I believe honors the Lord! I am to be an example to them as their mom {but I've done it more times than I'd like to admit}. 1. Be patient and loving, actually TEACH them how to do their chores. Don't tell them the chore and expect them to figure it out. You will both be frustrated. Take time to show them how to do it and don't expect a 2 year old to do something that he/she isn't ready to do. 2. Be calm and loving - don't expect them to get it the first time. It will take doing this with them over and over {if they are little} before they can do it by themselves. 3. Keep them moving but give them plenty of time to finish the task. For instance, brush teeth and hair should only take 5 minutes, but you schedule 10 minutes! 4. Again, no TV in the morning. It just doesn't work! 5. Having a schedule or set routine always helps them know what to expect. 6. Get them up at the same time every day, and keep a consistent bedtime. 7. Don't expect perfection, especially with little ones. If their bed isn't perfect, it's okay. BUT, if you've seen they can make it well but are being lazy, that's different. And now, here are some of my kids' schedules from the last few years: My daughter's schedule at 18 months old Rachel's chores for ages 2-3 years old - "making" her bed, was ME pulling up her covers and SHE had to put all the pillows on it. My son's schedule at 3 years old {remember he couldn't talk or read - see autism tab above} This was when my son was 5. I would change it each day and post it for him. For my son when he was 6. This helped him in the summer to see what was coming ahead. As you can see, I've tried doing schedules all kinds of ways. Each one worked for that time and then I changed it up if it stopped working. Don't be afraid to change things! Have you ever tried making a schedule for yourself or your kids? I'll be giving you some help with getting school lunches organized next week and then I'll finish up this "back to school" series with MY schedule in a couple of weeks! Don't miss it!