Morning Routine Madness and the Impressionable Mind

Remember that one movie you were late to? Not by much, you just missed the first ten
minutes. And still you spent the next half an hour trying to understand what exactly had
happened in those first ten minutes instead of just enjoying the movie. Remember the
anxiety of getting there on time while you were running late? Rushing about making sure
everything is sorted, leaving home and then speeding to the theatre, breaking god knows
how many traffic rules?

Ever thought why you hurry when you’re late? Whether it’s as trivial as missing the first ten
minutes of a movie, or as grave as missing the introductions in a business meeting, you
know that being late will have unpleasant consequences.
The same is true when a child is late to class! The only difference is that most children
don’t even realise that they are late until they reach the class and see their friends
engrossed in their activities. At that moment the child is almost paralyzed at the door, not
sure of what exactly to do. Although at Aim Montessori we still greet the child the same as
if they were on time, it takes some time to ensure the child has become comfortable in the
environment.

There have been times when a child would regularly come late to class by almost an hour,
and as a result enter with a huge scowl on their face. Every day that this child was late,
she would have the toughest time just getting started, and before she knew it, it was time
to go back home! We interacted with the parents and emphasised the importance of being
on time and ensuring a healthy, peaceful, uninterrupted two and a half hour work cycle.
Despite this, the child would continue to be late to class. After talking some more with the
parents, they told us that the child just didn’t feel like waking up in the morning. This is the
point where everything changed.

They started to put the child to bed earlier, and woke her up earlier the following morning.
As the days passed by the child came to class less late than the previous day, and
eventually started looking forward to coming to class and completing her activities with her
friends. A few other children also went through the same kind of progress. We even saw
fewer tantrums and conflicts.

At Aim Montessori we understand that the ages between 2.6 and 6 Years are the most
impressionable, and it is at this age where they look up to adults to show them how to go
about their daily activities. This where it becomes vital to set in place a routine that causes
the least friction during the day, more satisfaction and more contentment. If we make it
seem like it is okay to walk in late to anything, be it school, sports, dance class, or any
other event, the child will get used to that “late anxiety”. The whole impact of any of these
activities is lost the moment the child is late and unable to attend those first few minutes.
On the other hand, setting up a routine gets rid of that anxiety and the child is then able to
depend on the set series of events to get anywhere on time, and will actually enjoy the
essence of any activity.

Of course, it can’t possibly be easy to convince your child to get into routine right from the
beginning. So if it’s the getting dressed in the morning that’s an issue, send your child to
school in their pyjamas with a change of clothes. The surely wont remain in their night
clothes for long once they see all their friends dressed and ready for school!