Easy Morning Routine Jar (+ Printable!)

It’s nearly time for back to school and after a long (wonderful) summer of pushed bedtimes and slow mornings, it’s time to get back on track in preparation for the upcoming school year. In a perfect world, our school mornings are efficient and easy, and I do find that having some sort of tool to keep my little one focused throughout the process helps immensely. We’ve used several different types of tools in the past (a colouring page and a chart on the fridge paired with magnets, among others), but this year we’re trying something new — a morning routine jar!

Here’s what you’ll need to create one of your own:

• our craft stick labels printable (click to open and print)
• scissors
• 9 large craft sticks
• a glue stick
• clear sticky tape (optional)
• pencil crayons (optional)
• a small jar or cup

Alright, with everything gathered, it’s time to put our morning routine jar together! First things first, print off the craft stick labels and cut them out just inside the grey dotted lines so that they’ll fit perfectly onto your large craft sticks.

If you wish, invite your little one to colour the label pictures with pencil crayons. Not only will this will allow your child to take part in the project and have a sense of ownership over his or her morning routine jar, but it also provides a wonderful opportunity to discuss the different tasks and what’s expected with each.

With the labels ready, use a glue stick to adhere the task labels to the tops of your craft sticks.

Then adhere the ‘DONE’ labels to the bottoms of the sticks. For extra durability and some water resistance, you may want to wrap the labelled portion of the sticks with clear tape — up to you.

Now just pop the sticks (task-side up) in your jar or cup and you’re ready to go! As your little one completes the tasks in the morning, he or she will simply flip the sticks over until all of the ‘DONE’ labels are facing upwards and it’s time to head out the door.

Happy back to school! May your mornings be as easy and efficient as possible. :)