Hey {{first_name}}
How much longer until your kiddo goes back to school? For most of the families I work with, school starts in 2 weeks!!
Back-to-school mornings can feel like running a marathon before 8am. 🏃♀️
Lots of parents have expressed feeling nervous about morning and nighttime routines, that’s why I’m sharing 3 simple ways to build a sensory-friendly morning routine (plus a bonus freebie if you haven’t grabbed it yet):
✨ 1. Visual Schedules
Take the guesswork out of mornings by laying out what’s next. Pictures, charts, or even a whiteboard checklist can reduce battles over “what do I do?” and give your child a sense of control. Print some pictures of their morning routine, or find some online, and include things like eating breakfast, brushing teeth, etc. Maybe a separate visual with all the items that must be in their backpack could be helpful too, if they’re forgetful.
✨ 2. Sensory Diet Jumpstart
Match morning activities to your child’s needs:
For kids who struggle to wake up → add alerting input like:
Oral input: crunchy granola bar, cold apple slices, sour foods, or ice water with lemon.
Fast, bouncy movement: hopscotch, skipping, jumping jacks, or “leap like a frog” races down the hall.
Temperature: cool washcloth on the face or hands, or even a quick blast of fresh morning air at the window/door.
Light + sound: open blinds + turn on music with a strong beat.
For sensory seekers → give them a structured movement activity before school paired with some heavy work:
Crash into a pillow pile.
Do animal walks (bear crawl, crab walk, frog jumps).
Push heavy laundry baskets or carry a backpack with a couple books inside.
A few minutes of the right sensory input can completely change the tone of the morning.
✨ 3. Gamify Transitions
Turning routines into play helps kids shift gears with less stress. Race to beat the timer, pretend you’re superheroes getting ready for school, or roll a dice to decide how you’ll walk to the car.
👉 If you haven’t already, snag my free Transition Games guide [link]: it’s packed with playful ideas you can start ASAP.
Next week, I’ll be back with an After-School Sensory Reset because surviving the morning is only half the battle!!
You’ve got this,
Effie
