Morning Distractions

Lately mornings have been a little more chaotic.  I'm not sure if it is the change in the weather or something else but the girls have been extremely distracted in the morning.  I am constantly giving the girls instructions in the morning and even then they get distracted and forget what they are doing.  I realize this is typical behavior for kids, however, it was delaying our mornings to the point where we were rushing to get things done before getting out the door.  It made mornings stressful.

Our solution?  CHECKLISTS! This way they know everything they need to do in the morning and they are responsible for getting it done.  I got colored clipboards for each of the girls and then used self-seal laminating pouches for their checklists so they could use dry erase markers with them. This way I only have to make one checklist instead of a different copy for each day.

This morning was the first morning using the checklists and the morning went MUCH smoother.  Ellia was even done early and had a chance to watch some cartoons before we left this morning which never happens.  Josie carried her checklist around with her all morning even after she was done with her list.  Hopefully that excitement stays with them.  The only thing I forgot to add to the checklists...our morning hugs!