Page 82 - DINQ MAGAZINE MARCH 2021 EDITION

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What’s your kid’s bedtime routine? Unless it’s one a bowl of cereal will help them gain focus and keep it
of those hectic nights, ours includes a bath or shower, a glass longer. And a big bonus: Real milk also provides nine es-
of milk if they’re hungry (which they always are and milk sential nutrients including B-12 for energy and calcium for
works to fill them up but not wind them up), brushed teeth, strong bones and teeth.
reading, prayer, and a tuck-in. 2. Read together.

We all know bedtime routines are important, but One morning I noticed that everything that came
having a morning routine for kids could be the solution to out of my mouth after “good morning” was an order. Get
some of their a.m. issues. Whether they learn from home or up. Get up (again!). Put your clothes on. Come eat. Tie
have to make it to school by the time the bell rings, these 3 your shoes. And those orders kept
simple routines will help them increasing in intensity and volume.
get moving and set their day Yes, it’s the nature of the beast,
up for success. but I can’t imagine an effective

But first, why take morning routine for kids starts
time to transition from sleep? with getting bossed around for 30
minutes straight.
Imagine rolling out of
bed and being expected to be Reading together will get their
at work 20 minutes lat- brains into thinking mode. One
er, ready to perform. It would trick I often use is wrapping up
be impossible. It’s not fair to our nighttime reading with a cliff-
expect your kids to turn off hanger. Come morning they get
the alarm and be in learning out of bed because they’re eager to
mode right away. A transition, hear where the story goes. Are you
done with consistency, can asking, “Who has time to read in
make a huge difference. Here the morning?” Try audiobooks.
are those 3 ideas to get you started. Cue it up and let them listen for 10 minutes after their
alarm goes off while you’re pouring that milk and cereal.

3. Dress for success.
“A big bowl of cereal with the colored milk waiting
to be slurped up at the end is one of the joys of childhood.” One of my coworkers who has worked from home
1. Eat a good breakfast. since before COVID gets fully dressed in professional at-
tire, even on days without video calls. It helps flip the
Don’t worry. You don’t have to get up at 5 a.m. and switch from home to work. It will do the same for your
start making batter from scratch. Got milk? Got cereal? kids.
Boom. Think back to breakfasts when you were a kid. A big
bowl of cereal with the colored milk waiting to be slurped Think about those lazy Sundays when the whole
up at the end is one of the joys of childhood. family stays in your pajamas all day. You naturally feel
sleepy and don’t want to move. Have the kids pick out
One of the other proven benefits of milk is that it outfits and brush their hair. If you do brick-and-mortar
keeps you fuller longer. Whether your kids are learning at school, they probably don’t wear pajamas to class, but they
home or in the classroom, a grumbling belly is a big distrac- might need to shower to fully wash off the sleepiness.
tion. Transitioning in the morning with a glass of milk and

82 “ኢትዮጵያ ለዘላለም ትኑር ” ድንቅ መጽሔት መጋቢት 2013