What do you do with your DCs before school?

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I have DS (year 1) and DD (reception).
Mornings are always fraught as they annoy and fight with each other a lot...although it's mainly DS who is the one causing problems.
I like to hear what others do and what routine they follow for a bit of guidance.
Do your kids play by themselves for a bit? Mine if left alone would do, but they just clash with each other a lot, and I am busy trying to get ready and getting their breakfast together. DH leaves home at 7.20 so is of limited help. I make them wait for breakfast till I have finished getting ready and they have got dressed and brush their teeth too. I don't like going downstairs without having everybody dressed and ready as it's difficult to make them go back upstairs again to do these things, and would run out of time and be late for school.
It's tears, tantrums, fighting for attention, hitting each other, throwing things around, making mess, not sitting down to eat properly....all these things add up to stressful mornings and I just wish I had put them both in breakfast club instead of choosing to go to work later in order to "spend quality time" with them before school.
I put on cbeebies for them in the last 10mins or so so that they sit still and i can get things ready to get out of the door.

What are your mornings like and what do your kids do before school?

Breakfast straight away in pjs here too. I bring their clothes downstairs the night before so they get dressed downstairs.

I do really get where you are coming from, mine often fight in the morning and it is a pita.

I have an almost 4 year old and a Y1 and they're both early risers - 6am is about average. DH is now home until 8:30ish and school is a 5 minute walk so we have lots of time, but when DH was leaving for work at 6:30 the routine was as follows:
I get ready at 6:30am, run kids a bath (just what works for us) and we are all back downstairs for 7:30. Breakfast, then brush teeth and get dressed at about 8am, 10 minutes for reading book (DS1 doesn't concentrate in afternoon/evening) and then 10-15 minutes of TV.

I got their lunch boxes and bags ready the evening before, and after many mornings of running around trying to locate shoes, they now have a box they go in as soon as they get back from school/preschool. I make sure I read any book bag letters the evening I get them so that I can make sure I'm up together. I agree with others about using the TV as a reward - luckily, mine aren't prone to bickering, but they would dawdle and argue, so the TV at the end was used to incentivise them! Good luck!

Mine are year R and year 3. They wake up at 7am, come into my bed for a cuddle, then at around 7:15am DH (who will have showered while the DDs are chatting to me) takes them downstairs for breakfast and a chat while I shower. They come back up at around 7:40am (with a cup of tea for me) and I help DD2 get dressed while urging DD1 to dress before she starts reading and DH finishes getting ready for work. At around 8am, as DH leaves, I do their hair (they both have waist length curls), then at around 8:15am they brush their teeth. Once I have checked that they have put their Pjs in the right place and made their beds, they can play, read, listen to CDs etc. while I dress and do my make up and hair. We go downstairs at 8:35am and then leave at 8:40am. I breakfast when I get home after the school run (I work from home).

DH isn't around in the mornings a couple of days a week, so I do it all then. For us, saying that they could have some time to themselves to do what they want if they get ready quickly has really made a difference. Most of the time it is fine, but we do have mornings when it all goes wrong!

I have DC age 7. We get up about 7.15, I go downstairs to do packed lunches. DC either play upstairs, there latest game is turning our bed into an aeroplane! Once I finished pack lunches , I put out their clothes. They have a bath, while I have a shower. I am always out first and dressed. They get themselves out of the bath, dry themselves and get dressed.
The breakfast table is always set the night before. We have breakfast. They pack their school bags. We brush our teeth and if there is time they make their beds.
We leave for school at 8.40.
It doesn't always run to plan!

DH and I are always up and ready for work before DD is up. She gets music as an alarm clock. , I go in, check that uniform is ready, tell her to get dressed and go down to lay the breakfast table.

Then DH, who works from home, and DD come down, we eat together. She then reads her school book while I clear the dishes away, pack her snack and her waterbottle.

Then teeth and shoes and coats and out of the door.

The less time she has the less issues we have that she wants to play.

While DD2 was in infants she always got dressed downstairs after breakfast. This was key to some semblance of control in the morning.

We have always done school reading in the mornings after breakfast.

Our routine
7:20 my alarm goes off
7:25 I get up use bathroom, then get dressed
7:40 I tell DH to get up. Then wake DD2, and also DD1 if not already awake. I go downstairs to sort breakfast etc.
7:50 Call up for DD2 to get up and dressed
8:00ish DDs and DH arrive downstairs for breakfast. Spellings and occasional maths at breakfast table. Discuss after school arrangements
8:10/15ish DDs finish breakfast, DD1 upstairs to finish sorting out.
8:20 DD1 leaves for school, I listen to DD2 read
8:35 Leave with DD2 for school.

Although DD2 is now y5 and DD1 y11, we have been running with a similarish routine for around 7 years. The larger age gap probably helps, as when DD1 needed listening to read, DD2 was too small. 2 adults around in the mornings used to help a lot too.

Mine are the same and three weeks ago I could have written your post. Both up by. 6.30 normally. Rules are get dressed, only then let down stairs, breakfast, teeth, shoes on or ready. Then TV or play. We leave at 8.25 to walk scoot or cycle to school. There was a lot of screaming by all of us at first but getting there. They have been told they will be going to breakfast club if they don't behave, I get dressed when they settled watching TV

I hope that nobody minds me asking, but when do other people's DC tend to do no. 2? (We have loo-going issues, so that tends to complicate things). Does it happen in the morning rush or at other times of the day?

I agree with get up early before dcs. My alarm goes at 6:00, I have coffee and come round in bed, then into shower and dressed by the time dcs ( and dh )wake between 6:45 and 7, I am generally back down stairs shortly after 7making lunches and sorting myself out. 2 days a week I leave at 7:15 so I can run before work (shower at work on those days)on the other days I have breakfast with the dcs when they come down between 7:30 and 7:45 they help clear away, brush their teeth and we all out the door by 8:15.

Branching out - DD had chronic constipation and the paediatric tried to get her into a routine. Nothing worked. I think she tends to go later in the day but I lost a bit of track when we stopped the poo diary.

I have to assume my do No2 at school !!

I have a DS in reception and 18mo in nursery. We do as much as possible the night before - Everything in book bags night before, uniform on chair. Coats and shoes all found and by door.

Our morning goes like this

6-630 ds2 wakes, nappy change and milk
615-7 ds1 wakes

630 I shower while ds2 has his milk
645 ds1 gets himself dressed while dh showers and I get dressed
7 downstairs for breakfast, then back upstairs for everyone to brush teeth, finish getting dressed, and do hair, make up (ok that's just me)
730 - I take ds2 t nursery then go to work. Often I'll take ds1 back downstairs at the same time and tell him to get shoes on then he can watch TV while waiting for dh
640 - dh takes ds1 to before school club.

This only works as I do not allow tv on before he's washed, dressed and fed.

Ours takes a bit longer than others on here! I don't know why but everything takes an age.

7.00 I get up,wake DC or prompt them to get dressed, shower and dress
7.29 DS (y1) finally deigns to get dressed after much cajoling
7.30 downstairs for breakfast
8.00 finish breakfast (if they finish earlier, they get to play more). 10 mins to play while I sort water bottles, sort gubbins etc
8.15 brush teeth, wees
8.20 aim to leave house
8.30 actually leave house

No TV in the mornings, it has a paralysing effect but more importantly I find they get on better when TV is completely off the agenda. Generally DD reads and DS plays a game against himself. Sometimes I dump a pile of lego or hexbugs in the middle of the playroom floor to inspire them.

Dds aged 7&9.

Mine get up and get dressed at 7.30am before coming downstairs. I then do hair and make breakfast. I allow them to eat whilst watching tv so they get at least half an hour to chill which they need as they're not morning kids and I find if they lie in longer it's more stressful for them. At about 8.15 they'll go upstairs to brush teeth. Shoes, bags etc already sorted and in hall ready to go at about 8.25am.

My two are YR and Y2. They don't really fight much but just getting them to stop day dreaming and do the task required drives me mad. At the moment I generally leave my own shower until after I've dropped them at school. Sometimes this is because I'm exercising but sometimes not... I also spend the entire morning saying "let's rock and roll" which drives even me mad never mind the kids.

I'm starting a job soon. I'm really sad to miss the children after school but DH is going to be dropping them at breakfast club while I go to work early and my God I'm looking forward to that bit

Haha I know what you mean Ghoul..I enjoy the days I can just leave DP to sort the kids and get to work early.