As adults, we know how we start the day sets the tone for the rest of the day. We are intentional about doing those things to set us up for success for the rest of the day: having our quiet time with the Lord, writing in our gratitude journal, making our beds and the like.
In the toddler world, things are a little different – they need some gentle nudging and guidance on how to start their days right. I incorporated these 5 easy, peasy steps to my toddler’s morning routine and let’s just say mornings are his favourite time of the day 🤣🤣🤣
Wake them up with a song: I sing a playful song to my toddler every morning that cracks him up all the time. I’m not exactly sure what makes him laugh; the song, the tone of my voice or just the concept of our improvised “alarm clock” 😂😂 The interesting thing is when my son wakes up before I can go to wake him up, he starts singing our favourite morning song while he expects me.
Lay hands on them and pray over them: I typically start my day with a few minutes of prayer (before talking to anyone or getting out of bed). Given my toddler is unable to do that independently, I use the opportunity to pray over him. I speak positive things into his life and declare God’s promises about his future. These days, he has learnt to close his eyes while I do this and says an “amen” when I’m done. (Glory! We’re making progress on this front). It is of utmost importance for our kids to start their day with prayers and studying the word of God. I shared tips on how to go about this in an earlier post and will share more in a future post.
Teach them to greet you: There’s this sense of fulfillment I feel when my son says, “good morning, mummy.” Aside from that, it also teaches him to be courteous. I started out by gently prompting him to “say good morning to mummy.” When he does, I’d respond while giving him a big bear hug and a peck on his forehead – which he absolutely loves. I think he has now established the “cause-effect” relationship of the morning greeting because when he says good morning, he already knows what to expect.
Get them to laugh or at least smile: The Bible says, “a merry heart does good like medicine,” and I couldn’t agree any less. I’m intentional about giving him a dose of this medicine every morning – a very hearty laughter from the belly of his soul 🤣🤣🤣
Show them how to make their beds: It is often said that making our beds elevates our mood and sets the tone for a productive day. I observed that for my toddler, getting him to do such little things makes a world of difference. I show him how to make his bed every morning, and he’s learning pretty fast. As you’d expect, he doesn’t get it done perfectly, but the goal is ‘progress over perfection.’
Pro tip
Keep it consistent: Children love routines, even though they might initially find them challenging. Like adults, they discover habits are hard to form but easy to live with. It begins by ensuring they wake up at the same time every day.
Add these things to your toddler’s routine, and you’d find that he/she would be so excited about waking up in the morning and would do so “on the right side of the bed” every single day!
What is your child’s wake-up routine like? Let’s share and learn from each other.
PS: I hope to share a more comprehensive toddler morning routine in a future post. This post only covers the period between waking up and getting out of bed.
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