What do your Dc do before school?

[runningouttaideas]

I have just been on another thread about what Dc do after school and it made me ponder on what you all do with your Dc before school? So I can compare notes too.

At the mo we are up at 7.30, breakfast, washed/dressed, watch a bit of tv, Dc usually complain they don't want to go to school, coats/bags on and in school. Although we don't have a mad rush or any major incidents they always seem tired (even though they get enough sleep) and not very 'enthusiastic' about entering school tbh.

So what do you do?

After breakfast and making beds/getting dresses/brushing teeth etc my DC either read or do home work. DS is best at homework in the morning, he's too tired after school.

Ha! Natural progression from my thread re: after school - both ends of the day fascinate me!

We're all up between 6.30-7.30am, downstairs, breakfast, bring their school clothes down to get changed into, make packed lunches. Teeth, hair, shoes, coats and out the door at 8.20am. Always feels a mega rush with me repeatedly shouting at them at each step of the way.

One thing I do stipulate is NO tv or screens in the mornings - it turns them into zombies. Although I'm not sure its a great morning rule as my DD's always get into some massive crafting / colouring project that they don't want to put down when its time to go. It'd probably be much easier to just switch off tv and go

Ds (9) gets up around 7am, has breakfast, gers dressed then plays on his tablet.
Dd's (12) alarm goes off at 7.30am and she needs cajoled out of bed. She has breakfast, dresses and then we all need to rush out the door as she takes ages to get going in the morning.

Generally awake by 6.30, up at 7am when DH leaves for work. Then a flurry of dressing, breakfast, teeth, gathering together of necessaries for school. DS's friend is dropped off at 8.10am and we all head off for school at about 8.25am. Sometimes there's time for a bit of a play before we leave, depends how on the ball they are. The radio is usually on in the background.

If they get their arses in gear they have ten minutes or so in the playground to go wild before the doors open at 8.45am.

My ds gets up early enough without a fuss, but he eats unbelievably slow . He forgets to eat and start drifting into his own dream world, so I have to sit next to him and keep reminding him to eat.
So, by the time he finished his breakfast, get changed etc, it's time to leave.

they can watch TV until I come downstairs after my shower and getting ready at about 7.45, as long as they're dressed in their uniforms

at 7.45 I make breakfast.
at 8am I nag them to stop pickling about at the dining table and clean their teeth.
At 8.05am I nag them to stop pickling about at the dining table and clean their teeth.
At 8.10am I nag them to stop pickling about at the dining table and clean their teeth.
By 8.15 I have usually had to intervene in some sort of physical fight
8.20 - teeth, faces washed, hair done
8.30 - if we're running on time, there's still 10 minutes to go before we leave the house. In this time, someone invariably loses a shoe.
8.40 - out of house in mad panic, promising myself it will be different tomorrow

DD's alarm goes twice the week at 7am as she has sport before school. So, get up, dress in PE kit/leotard, breakfast, teeth and out of the door to be there by 7.45am

On the three other days her alarm goes at 7.10am, she gets up, dressed and we all have breakfast together (DH works from home). Then teeth brushing and either spellings or timestable. If there is still time she may play with Lego or reads. We are out of the door by 8.25am.

While she does her work/plays I do packed lunch and get all bags together, I leave straight for work after dropping her off so I have to get myself organised as well.

The boys are 11 (Y6). They get up with an alarm clock at 7.30, at which point I am just getting back from my morning run. They dress, come downstairs and make themselves cereal. I make toast and tea ('cos I'm nice like that). They tend to read over breakfast. I leave the house at 8 - they have the TV on by then. Between 8 and half past they clean their teeth; at half past they say goodbye to their sleeping father, and get themselves off to school
This routine has been unchanging for the past couple of years. Sometimes their dad isn't at home, in which case the only bit that alters is no kiss goodbye for him.

My morning goes along the lines of:
7:00-7:15 ds comes through and has a cuddle in bed.
7:20-7:25 ds goes downstairs and I disturb the girls and tell them to get up if they aren't already.
7:35 I come downstairs and find ds is on the computer. Go and put cereal in the bowl/cook porridge for ds and finish making dd1's packed lunch.
7:40 Tell the girls we need to leave in 5 minutes/remove dd2's books as she is attempting to read at the same time as getting dressed. As she only has one hand this is somewhat of a handicap! Ds comes through and pours milk on cereal and eats it.
7:45 Shout upstairs to girls that we need to leave now.
7:50 girls appear complaining of being hassled... Grab breakfast, I help dd2 with her hair
7:54 we look for one of dd2's shoes which is in a totally different room to the other one.
7:55 we get in the car, me reminding ds that he needs to be dressed by the time I'm back. Dd1 complains at being cold. I say this is 10 minutes too late, they need to start moving quicker in the morning. They apologise and promise it will be better tomorrow.
8:05/8:10 drop girls
8:20/8:25 arrive home. Tell ds he has 2 minutes to finish dressing. Check he's filled his water bottle.
8:30/8:35 try and leave and discover ds is still in his underpants. He says I
never told him that we had to leave at that time. Hassle him into his clothes.
8:36 ds announces he's a headache/feels sick/too tired and really shouldn't be in school. I play the totally mean mummy.
8:40 arrive at school for ds. He decides at the moment of arrival to launch into a long description of the lunchtime football match he played yesterday. I walk him in still telling me. As I suggest he needs to actually go through the door he accuses me of not being interested in his football and talking together as a family is more important than school.
8:44:55 I get him through the door 5 seconds before the bell goes.
8:45 I sprint back to the car and leap in it to arrive late at work for a well desperved rest after the previous hour and a half.

Not sure if the dc would find this funny or not!

Dh and I get up around 6:30 and our 3DC get up between then and 7:15 and congregate in the living room with the tv on and their milk.

TV is off at 7:30 and they have breakfast, teeth and get themselves dressed by 8. I then have my breakfast and do the rest of the things I need to do (hang washing out, clear up breakfast things) while they amuse themselves - we used to have the tv on then as well, but now I stipulate they have to read a chapter of a book first, and then they can do what they like as long as their beds are made.

DC3 always needs a nappy change before we leave, so I check for that around 8:25 and get her into the buggy while the others get their shoes and coats on and get their scooters and things - out of the door and locking up by 8:40 at the latest and at school for 8:45 (we are always amongst the first there.

I get bags and everything like that ready the night before so I don't find mornings that stressful - I hate rushing around so always leave plenty of time.

Ok youngest @5 is an early riser, wakes between 5 & 6am, gets dressed and tidies room, makes bed opens curtains etc, takes 10 mins he then goes on the tablet and will be joined by eldest when he wakes. Tablets off at 8am, they then come down stairs to eat breakfast on table, before brushing teeth and checking bags. Shoes and coats on at 8:25 leave 8:30. I absolutely hate the quantity of tablet time but the alternative is they just jump on my head at a horrible hour or end up squabbling. I normally get up between 6 - 7am depending on whether I fancy a lie in !

ds (10) gets up around 6 watches sky sports news for half hour, makes his breakfast (usually scrambled eggs on toast and a cup of tea). Gets washed,brushes teeth, washes and dries his hair with the hairdryer and styles it. goes out to play football normally at around 7.30 till 8.20 when we leave for school.

dd (14) gets up around 6 does hair and ale up whilst eating breakfast in her room, gets dressed and leaves at 7.50.

I get up around 7.30 so don't really do anything 'with' them as such.

ale up? no idea where that come from. *make up!

7:00 comes into my room for a cuddle
7:10 go downstairs make breakfast, eat breakfast, chat
7:50 go upstairs, brush teeth, get dressed
08:10 downstairs to practice piano
08:30 coats and shoes on
08:35 out of door, walk to school
08:45 school

Dh and I get up at 7. I wake the dc at about 7:20, they whinge a bit about not wanting to get up but eventually do. Breakfast about 7:50. A bit of t.v. at 8:15, then shoes and coats on and off to school at 8:45 (it's less than 2 minutes' walk away).

DD2 11yo, year 6.

7:30 Wake DD2
7:45 tell her it's getting up time
7:50 She gets up and dressed
8:00 Breakfast, Spellings, a very tiny bit of maths
8:15 Teeth & Hair
8:20 Reading
8:35 Shoes & coat on, Leave for school

We've done reading in the morning ever since reception as it works best for us and she is awake.

Mornings are one of the few things that happens without incident here. Purely luck I know, but forward planning defo helps.

All up at 8 (very rarely up earlier, wake and out of bed without fuss, not like me at aaall)
8-8.15 Kids sort own breaky. I make up pack from ready preped stuff
8.15-8.30 Bathroom and dressed. Sometimes if breaky is not finished it is abandoned until dressed and ready.
No uniform so kids choose t's and trousers from wardrobe.
8.30-8.45 Hair brushed, coats and shoes on. Finish breaky and tv/reading. No activities or games.
Out the door at 8.45

If we have a small lie in or teethbrushing takes 25 mins, no time for tv.

Having pack up prepped and easy othes definitely helps. Oh, yes I have a bag in bathroom with 7xundies and socks X 2 Sunday is pack up and undie day, so no faffing for those in the morn. shoes and coats always in the hall ready. School bag packed and checked the night before.

Kids (7 and 5) up at around 7.30. DS, 7, usually reads till 8am. Then I nag him to get his clothes on...this takes till about 8.15am.
DD dresses herself and potters around and I do her hair while eggs are boiling for breakfast.
We go downstairs at about 8.25. Have breakfast and out of the door for 8.45am.

DS2 has taken to getting up about 6 (he has SN) but he will potter about near our room / watch a DVD or ipad
6.45 me and DP get up / he gets ready I make packed lunches
6.50 I get back into bed until 7.30
7.00 ish DS1 gets up and goes on ipad or gets into bed with me
7.15 DP leaves for work
7.30 I get up / shower / hair / dress / make up
8.00 get kids ready
8.05 breakfast for the three of us
8.15 DS2 school transport arrives / DS2 teeth
8.20 DS1 and I leave the house

Dc1 (16) gets up at 6, showers, breakfasts, makes his lunch then leaves at 720 to get the bus to school.
Dc 2 & 3 (5 & 10yrs) are early risers - by that i mean 530-6.
They get up, have breakfast, washed dressed showered, tidy their rooms, do their reading plus any homework and chores plus tv when they are all done.
I am an early morning person so this suits me as by 7-8pm they are fast asleep and I have the evening to myself. Dc4 hasn't read the memo and wakes just before 8 (after going to bed at 630pm) so I rush to get him sorted before leaving the house at 830 for school run.
My best friend is complete opposite to me. Her dc go to bed slightly latelybut sleep in longer which she prefers. Each to their own and all that :)

The kids get up between 5.30 and 6.30 - they are early risers. The eight year old gets up first and goes downstairs and reads or draws or does incomprehensible things with dice and Lego, then he reads to his five year old brother when he gets up or they play separately. For some reason they don't fight during this time although they do all the rest of the time.

DH or I get up at about 7, we take it in turns - we work from home. Make porridge. Whoever is up eats breakfast. Kids continue to draw/ read/ do weird stuff with Lego.

At 8 we tell the kids to get dressed, they moan, they go upstairs and fight, eventually clothes are put on. They clean teeth, put shoes and cost on.

At 8.30 they leave for school with our neighbour or DH depending whose turn it is. I then get dressed, have a coffee and start work (work from home).

The kids are not allowed tablet or TV in the mornings partly as I can't face the moaning when they are asked to put it away and partly because they use them too much in the evenings as it is.

If I'm working:

I get up at 6am
Up at 06:45am
Washed, dressed and downstairs by 7:05am
Breakfast
Music practice if time
Out the door by 7:30

This morning (not working)

I get up at 6:30am and have an hour to myself.
Wake DC at 7:30am
Washed, dressed and down stairs by about 7:50am for breakfast.
8:15am music practice.
8:30am spelling and tables revision.
8:45am leave for school.

I find the only way to make it calm and fairly efficient is for me to be up and dressed before the DC. And everything (book bags, lunches kit for activities, uniform, shoes, coats and breakfast) to be prepared/set out the night before.

I spend the entire morning, every morning shouting 'WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES?'

Make your kids pit their shoes in the hall at night. Ours do teeth,wash,clothes in basket,shoes in hall.
Adults are allowed to leave their shoes willy nilly as we dont require help to find them or put them on

Up at 7, eldest dressed, breakfast and out the door at 7.25, other two dressed immediately, downstairs for breakfast, I do hair whilst DD eats, shoes on at 7.40, in car by 7.55. All bags packed and ready night before