It's been a month since the kids have been back at school. So why are you still saying the same things every morning? 🙃

You've done the school run every day since term started, and at 5:45am you're still at the bottom of the stairs calling out teeth, shoes, bag and water bottle. 

Maybe someone told you kids get used to it after a few weeks. If you're still the one carrying the whole routine, it's easy to wonder if you're doing something wrong. You probably aren't. 

Repetition helps children learn a routine, but on its own it isn't always enough.

1. Why Repetition Alone Isn't Always Enough

Your child has a lot to juggle in a morning routine. Before they even make it to the door, they have to:

🟡 remember the order of the steps

🟡 notice what they've already finished

🟡 move on to the next step without anyone prompting them

That's a lot for a little brain before breakfast! Researchers call this group of skills executive function. Children build it over the early years through practice and support, so a five-year-old who forgets what comes after breakfast is right on track.¹

You call out each step and your child gets through the morning, but you're doing the remembering for them. The routine lives in your head, so on the days you're settling a sibling or running late yourself, the whole morning slows down. Sound familiar? 😅

A few signs your child still relies on you for the sequence:

🟡 You call out the same three or four steps most mornings

🟡 Your child finishes one task and waits for you to name the next

🟡 Mornings go smoothly when you're in the room and slow down the second you step out

2. Help Your Child See What Comes Next

Young children find it easier to follow something they can see than something they have to remember. Occupational therapists suggest visual routines for this reason, since a child can look up and check the next step without asking.²

Picture a “Brush Teeth” card on the wall. Your child:

🟡 checks the card

🟡 brushes their teeth

🟡 looks for the next one

And you didn't have to say "teeth" once. You'll still help, and some mornings you'll repeat yourself anyway (we all do). Week by week, though, your child takes over small pieces of the morning.

3. Practical Ways to Build a School Morning Routine Your Child Can Own

🟡 Start with two or three steps. Pick the steps your child can manage with a little help, like brushing teeth or putting on shoes, and keep the rest with you for now. No need to hand over the whole morning on day one!]

🟡 Put the routine where it happens. Shoes and bag belong by the front door. Teeth belong by the bathroom mirror. Keep it at your child's eye level, not yours.

🟡 Ask instead of tell. Swap "put your shoes on" for "what does your routine say?" and give them a moment to look. We know that moment can feel very long when you're already running late.

🟡 Name what they did. "You packed your bag before I asked!" tells your child what went well and makes them more likely to do it again.

🟡 Hand over one more step at a time. Once the first few feel easy, add the next.

[Image direction: a child putting on his shoes while glancing at the next card in his routine]

4. How MKandM Routine Cards Fit Into Your Mornings

We designed the MKandM Routine Cards for this stage, when your child knows the steps but still needs help keeping track of them. The set has 31 hand-drawn cards in Arabic and English covering everyday moments like:

🟡 waking up

🟡 brushing teeth

🟡 getting dressed

🟡 breakfast

🟡 packing a bag

Your child lays out the morning, works through it, and can see what's done and what's left. The bilingual design fits homes across the UAE where kids switch between Arabic and English all day 😄

Afia, a mum in our community, told us her kids started racing each other through their Routine Cards to finish their morning activities, with nobody reminding them. That's the kind of race we love to see.

A Little More Ownership Each Week

You'll still have mornings where someone loses a shoe (why is it always just one?) and you end up back at the stairs calling out the list. Aim for your child taking on a few more steps each week, with you nearby when they get stuck. 💛

If you'd like to try a visual routine at home, explore the Routine Cards below. And if big feelings tend to show up before school too, our Calm Down Cards might help.

Sources:

1. Center on the Developing Child. "InBrief: Executive Function: Skills for Life and Learning." Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbriefs/inbrief-executive-function/

2. "The Role of Occupational Therapy in Supporting Children's Daily Routines." Kids First. https://www.kidsfirstservices.com/first-insights/the-role-of-occupational-therapy-in-supporting-children-s-daily-routines