A morning routine your child runs

Most school mornings go faster when your child knows the order of the steps and can do them without being told. A picture checklist on the wall gives your child that order, and it gives you something to point at instead of repeating yourself.

Choose five to eight steps

Walk through a school morning in your head, from the moment your child wakes up to the moment you leave. Write down every step your child does, or could do with a little practice. A typical list for a four-year-old looks like this:

1. Use the toilet.
2. Wash my face.
3. Get dressed.
4. Eat breakfast.
5. Brush my teeth.
6. Brush my hair.
7. Put on my shoes.
8. Pack my backpack.

Three-year-olds usually manage five or six steps. Older children can handle more, including jobs like making the bed or feeding a pet. If the list runs past eight, split it into two parts: steps before breakfast and steps after.

Put the steps in the order that suits your home, then keep that order every day. If shoes live by the door, put shoes near the end. If breakfast is the step that drags, put it before getting dressed so clothes stay clean.

Set the room up so each step is possible. A child can't get dressed alone if the clothes are in a high drawer, and can't brush their teeth if the toothbrush is out of reach. A low hook, a step stool at the sink and a basket for tomorrow's clothes make most of these steps work.

Make the chart with your child

Use one picture per step, drawn, printed or photographed. Photos of your child doing each step work well for younger children. Add a word under each picture for older children who are starting to read.

Lay the steps out from top to bottom, or left to right, in one line. Hang the chart at your child's eye level, near where most of the morning happens. Some families put a morning chart in the bathroom and a second one by the front door for shoes and backpack.

Let your child help: choosing the pictures, gluing them on, picking where it goes. A child who made the chart is more likely to look at it.

If you want your child to mark each step, give them a way that doesn't need a pen. A clothespin they move down the side, or a card they flip over, works well and resets easily for the next day.

Teach it slowly, one week at a time

Show the routine the way a guide shows work in the classroom: slowly, with few words.

• Days one and two: do the routine together. Point to each picture before the step. "First, the toilet." Do the step alongside your child.
• Days three and four: point to the picture and let your child do the step. Help only with the parts they can't do yet, such as a stiff zipper.
• Day five onward: ask, "What's next on your chart?" and wait.

Give your child time to look at the chart and work out the next step. If they're stuck, point to the picture without speaking.

Some mornings will fall apart. A child who is tired, sick or upset may need more help, so give it, and go back to pointing at the chart the next day.

Step back, and decide where you stand

Once your child knows the routine, move yourself out of it. Be in the kitchen, or getting yourself ready, where your child can find you. Your role changes from giving directions to answering the question, "What's next?" with, "Check your chart."

A few things help:

• Leave enough time. A child who runs the routine alone is slower than you are. Wake up ten or fifteen minutes earlier for the first few weeks.
• Don't redo their work. If the hair is uneven or the shirt is on backwards, let it go on school days unless it matters for the weather.
• Say what you see. "You got dressed and put your shoes on by yourself." Skip the big praise.
• Change the chart when the routine changes. When your child adds a step, such as making their lunch, add the picture.

Many families add an evening chart once mornings settle: tidy toys, bath, pajamas, choose tomorrow's clothes, read a book, lights out.

If your school uses FutureNerds, Family Tools includes My routine, a printable sheet with morning and evening steps in order, with a picture for each step and a few themes to choose from. You can also make a chart by hand with a marker and a piece of card.