Your Child Will Learn
How to be responsible for some parts of their morning routine
Here’s What to Do
- Choose a ‘good morning’ song to sing every morning (if you don’t know one already, search “good morning song” on the Internet). Begin each day with the same song.
- After you sing, tell your child all the things you need to do to be ready for the day.
- Ask your child which steps they’d like to do themselves, and which they need help with.
- Throughout the morning routine, prompt your child “What comes next?” See how many steps they are able to remember and complete on their own.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Before your child gets out of bed, encourage them to stretch their arms up to the sky and take a deep breath.
ENGAGE
- (Singing) “Good morning, good morning, good morning to you! Good morning, good morning, and how do you do? Our day is beginning, there’s so much to do!”
- “Today is a school day so we need to use the bathroom, get dressed, brush our hair, eat breakfast, brush teeth, and leave the house so we can get to school on time.”
ENCOURAGE
- When possible, give your child choices. Like: “Will you go potty next or get dressed?” or “Would you like to wear the green or the blue shirt?”
- “What did we do yesterday after we put on our clothes? Right, we put on our socks and shoes!”
REFLECT
- “What do you think would help make the morning routine easier for you?” Share your thoughts and ideas too and problem-solve together!
Not Quite Ready
Focus on one part of the routine (like getting dressed) and break it down step-by-step.
Ready for More
Work towards your child remembering the routine on their own and completing some steps independently.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will begin to take an active role in their own morning routine.
Time to Complete
30 minutes
Materials Needed
Usual morning items like toothbrush and toothpaste