The Morning Checklist That Changed Our School Mornings
I used to think I just needed to get more organised in the mornings.
Remember the lunchboxes. Fill the drink bottles. Find the shoes. Pack the school bag. Remember what day it is. Does Ava need something extra today? What needs to go in Jack’s bag? Has everyone brushed their teeth?
And somewhere amongst all of that, actually get everyone out the door on time.
The problem wasn’t that I didn’t know what needed to be done.
The problem was trying to keep all of it in my head.
And when you’re also making breakfast, answering questions, finding the thing that was definitely right there five minutes ago and reminding someone for the fourth time to put their shoes on, it’s surprisingly easy to forget something.
So I made myself a morning checklist.
Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing complicated.
Just one piece of paper that tells me exactly what needs to happen before we walk out the door.
And I genuinely cannot tell you how much smoother our mornings have become.
I don't have to think about what comes next
This has probably been the biggest change for me.
Instead of walking around the house thinking, Okay, what haven't I done?, I can look at my checklist.
Lunches? Tick.
Drink bottles? Tick.
Ava's bag? Tick.
Jack's bag? Tick.
Whatever else needs doing that morning? Tick.
It gives me something to come back to when I inevitably get distracted halfway through a task.
And as a mum, that happens approximately 700 times before 8am. 😂
The checklist keeps bringing me back to the plan.
I gave each child their own column
One thing that has worked really well is having separate columns for Ava and Jack.
Their days aren't the same and they don't need the same things.
So rather than having one generic list that says PACK BAGS, I can see exactly what needs to go into each child's bag.
That tiny change has made a huge difference.
I'm not standing at the door trying to mentally run through everything we've packed. I can physically see that I've checked it off.
And because every family is different, I don't think my exact checklist will work perfectly for everyone.
That's why I've made the template editable.
You can change the names, add or remove tasks and customise the lists to suit your kids and your own morning routine.
The laminator might be the best part
Once I'd created my checklist, I laminated it.
I use a whiteboard marker to tick everything off as we go.
Then in the afternoon, I wipe the whole thing clean.
That night, we start again.
No printing another checklist every day. No scraps of paper everywhere. It's just there, ready for us every morning.
And there is something ridiculously satisfying about ticking those little boxes. 😂
It's not about having a "perfect" morning
Our mornings are definitely not suddenly calm, silent and beautifully organised.
We still have missing shoes.
Someone still changes their mind about breakfast.
There are still mornings when we're looking at the clock wondering how it possibly became that time already.
The checklist hasn't magically removed having two kids from the equation. 😂
What it has removed is a lot of the mental load.
I don't need to remember everything.
I just need to follow the list.
And when everything else around me feels a little chaotic, having that plan keeps me focused.
That's what has been life-changing about it.
Want to try our morning checklist?
I've turned my checklist into an editable Canva template so you can make it work for your own family.
You can change the kids' names, edit what's in each column and add the things your family needs to remember before getting out the door.
Once you're happy with it, print it, laminate it and grab a whiteboard marker.
Then tomorrow morning?
Don't try to remember everything. Just follow the list.