Morning Ideas to Get Kids Thinking

Many parents report difficulty with the morning routine. It's hard to get kids dressed, fed and ready to head out the door when you need to leave. At the same time, you want them to be ready for the day ahead by waking them up and getting them thinking. Some simple activities in the morning can get those creative juices flowing while also ensuring that everything gets done.

  1. Make Breakfast

    • Skipping breakfast isn't a good idea for anyone, including your child. A morning meal gives his brain the fuel it needs to learn and grow and it keeps him from being so hungry that he eats everything in sight when lunchtime comes. To get your child thinking in the morning, have him whip up your family's breakfast. Counting out the ingredients, portioning them into bowls or onto plates and serving everyone wakes up his brain and gets his neurons firing. Cooking is ideal for reading and science skills and helps your child organize and follow through on tasks, according to the PBS Parents website. Make sure you supervise children as they prepare breakfast so they don't burn, cut or otherwise get hurt in the kitchen.

    Write a Story

    • Most kids love to write and star in their own stories. Letting your child spin her own tale in the morning helps her wake up her brain as she comes up with the characters and storyline. Write a sentence on a piece of paper and let her use that as a jumping-off point for her story. Or go back and forth adding one sentence to a spoken story while you make breakfast or get dressed, suggests the Edu Guide website, a nonprofit that provides educational resources to parents. You can also simply listen as your child weaves her tale aloud. No matter how she does it, stories she makes up on her own get her brain ready for tasks in the classroom.

    Play a Game

    • Most kids wouldn't turn down game time in the morning. Choosing the right game can get them into a thinking frame of mind. The Education World website suggests playing a "would you rather" type game. Ask your child whether he'd rather be winter or fall, a rock or a feather, a lake or a pond; or whether he'd like to live by the ocean or mountains, in a rock band or a marching band, or blind or deaf. With each pairing, he must choose the option he prefers and give you reasons why he chose the way he did. You can also take a turn. As you go back and forth, your child is forced to think through the pros and cons of each pair of choices, which can boost his critical thinking skills, according to the Scholastic website.

    Make a List

    • A simple and fast way to get your child thinking in the early hours of the day is to give her a list to follow when she gets ready for the day. Not only will it get her thinking so she can get everything done in the correct order, but it helps you get out the door on time too. Hang a list detailing each task she needs to complete to be ready to leave, in a prominent location, such as near the front door or on her bedroom mirror. Include eating breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth, checking her backpack and putting on her shoes. As she finishes each task, have her check it off the list. She'll learn time management and organizational skills as she works on her list. It also gets her behaving responsibly, which is beneficial at school and at home, according to Parenting.org.

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