How to make morning routines easier
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Usually, when I write a blog, itās from the perspective of a music therapist. Today, Iād like to share a few tips, tricks, and ideas that I have learnt about morning routines as a parent, sometimes wearing my music therapist hat!
I have been a parent for nearly as long as I have been a music therapist. Growing in the profession alongside learning to be a parent has been wonderful. Working in early childhood, Iāve applied skills, knowledge, and ideas within my own family letting it inform my parenting. I like to make sure music fills our rooms and our lives in positive ways, making tricky times easier and happy times happier.. Sharing true experiences with my clientsā parents from a place of understanding and empathy has been one of the most special and human experiences. Itās humbling to comfort a parent and for them to feel truly understood. It just makes my work so much more enriching and fulfilling.
I have been fortunate enough to learn all things music, music for early childhood development, emotional regulation, our physical responses to it, how it affects us cognitively, and how it can build connections.
And wow! What better tool to use with children?
Music is a beautiful way to connect with your children and can also be very useful in helping them with their daily routine.
Music for mood and entrainment
Both of my kids have loved music in different ways. My eldest son has always had this amazing response to music, looking absolutely off with the fairies, experiencing it in such a profound way that I can see it impacts him significantly.
With him, I use music to support his mood.
For example, playing music in the morning while weāre getting ready can help him stay calm and regulated (depending on what it is, of course). With a bit of trial and error, Iāve found that acoustic playlistsāmusic thatās relatively mellow but not too sleepyāwork well.
āCoastal Driveā or āMexican Chill Vibeā get him in just the right zone to get ready for school, stay calm, and not fight with his brother. Of course, this is very individual, so I encourage you to find what works for your family and your child.
Cueing
When my kids were little, they were happy to engage in a fun activity where we brushed our teeth together to a whole tooth-brushing song.Ā
We even made up our own (such are the benefits of having a mum who is a music therapist LOL).Ā
When my kids have trouble winding down at the end of the night, Iāll often put on playlists like āSleepā or āCalm Sleep Music for Kidsā. Whatās important is to make sure these playlists donāt have too much dynamic variation.Ā
It should be mostly similar music, calm, and usually without lyricsāwords, I feel, make the brain work more than it should when youāre trying to get your kiddos to sleep!Ā
Morning Routines
I remember when my eldest started school, juggling a toddler, and wondering if we would even get out of the house.Ā
Oh, the stress and angst! Luckily for me, my kids have always looked forward to going to school with an odd day here and there, but with a son with ADHD, Iāve had to hone strategies to keep him on task and get him dressed, fed, and out the door!
Tools and Resources
My go-to website for anything to do with parenting was and still is the Raising Children website.Ā
Here is a page that talks about morning routines: Morning Routine for School, which might be helpful to you.
One of the things I have learnt from being a mum and have shared in my work as a music therapist is the benefit of having a great visual resource. Youāll see in this Raising Children article that having a clear and visible routine might help.Ā
Having worked with speech pathologists and occupational therapists, as well as other allied health professionals for years now, I have come to understand the power of a good visual resource.
FREE Visual Resource
You can download a copy of the one I use with my kids here, with some instructions on how to assemble and laminate it.
It became a fun activity and the kids loved seeing their tasks laid out, ticking them off one by one. It helped my son with ADHD stay on track and know which task was coming up next, as his poor working memory usually means he can take three steps up the hallway to put on his shoes, forget to put on his shoes and spend the next 10 minutes playing LEGO. This is fine, except when we were supposed to leave the house 5 minutes ago.
In the visual schedule, I also put everything in an order that makes senseāe.g., brushing teeth before getting dressed to avoid toothpaste on their uniforms!
The whole experience removed any uncertainty and set clear boundaries for what needed to be done each morning. For a while, using this resource, paired with some of the morning music I mentioned earlier, was just the reset we needed as a family to put some calm back into our chaotic mornings.
So, thereās a little insight into how I use music and the strategies I suggest in my daily life with my own family. I hope you have a couple of takeaways here and find these strategies and ideas helpful too.Ā
Written by
Natalie Oliveri, Director at Creative Therapy Adelaide
Natalie, the singing superhero, uses her magical music powers as a Registered Music Therapist to create harmonious homes and confident kiddos while fighting the evil forces of monotony!
