4 Tips to Get Your Kids Out of Bed and Ready for School

Now that school is starting again do you need to pry your child out of bed with a crowbar? Do mornings seem to be a fight between them, you and the covers? Try these tips to make mornings at your house a lot easier and less stressful.

Analyze your kids' morning routine. Some kids need time to come awake while others snap to it. For those sleepy heads, you may need to set the alarm early enough to accommodate some sitting-and-staring-into-space time. Or, try setting two alarms, one on the opposite side of the room. Having to physically get up and turn off the clock means your child is that much closer to being awake. Play around with the alarm itself. See if setting the alarm to a radio station works better at encouraging your kids to get up than just a buzzer. Experiment to see which method works best and then overestimate the time your child needs to get ready so there are no last minute morning panic attacks. That's no way to start the day.

Try waking your kids up with their nose. Use favorite smells to lure them out of bed, such as cinnamon-raisin toast, crispy bacon frying, or maybe even coffee brewing for teens. I'm not above bribing my kids to get out of bed with one of their favorite breakfast meals. Sure, I may need to get up a little earlier to cook something, but it's worth it to get everyone to willingly show up to breakfast and skip the nagging.

While I personally am not this dedicated, I did read a tip from a Mom who on cold winter mornings would throw her kids clothes into the dryer for a few minutes. She felt pulling on warm clothes helps inspire her kids to leave their warm bed. Try it and let me know if it works.

3. Early to bed, early to rise 

Tell your child that you will keep pushing bedtime earlier and earlier in the evening, until they are able to wake up on time. The thought of having to go to bed at 7:30 p.m. may be just the thing to motivate them to wake up in the morning. Getting a good night’s sleep, as simple as it sounds, may solve the problem, too. Get the family into a routine to guarantee a good 8 - 10 hours of sleep for your child.

4. Eliminate distractions

Your kids need to wind down and relax so they can fall asleep faster and feel rested. So, give your kids the opportunity to relax and unclutter their mind before bed. When they are young, read a goodnight story together. As they get a little older, have them read chapter books to you or read on their own. Don’t schedule activities too late in the evening so they are too wired to sleep. For tweens and teens, have them plug their cell phones into the charger in the kitchen before going to bed and leave them there. No texting until all hours late at night! According to this article from MSNBC and the BBC, teens texting at night causes sleep deprivation and memory loss. Sleep deprivation is very dangerous for teens, according to this article by the Mayo Clinic.

Same thing is true in the morning. Once your kids are up, no TV, no computers, no cell phones until they are dressed, have eaten breakfast, prepared their lunch, or packed up their backpack. Eliminating distractions before their chores are done can help keep the morning moving smoothly.

Hopefully these tips will help get your kids up and out the door in time for school. Now go have a cup of coffee and a deep breath!

What tips do you have for getting your kids up and out of bed in the morning?

Check out my Back-to-School Pinterest Board for more Back-to-School tips and sanity-saving solutions for busy parents.

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Sue Kirchner is a family fun coach, kids party planner, and weekly contributor to Patch.com. Sue and her family fun ideas have been featured on TV, newspapers, magazines, blogs, as well as her own family fun site ChocolateCakeMoments.com.