**This is a collaborative post
Getting your kids to school in the morning can be stressful. From getting everyone up, dressed and fed, to leaving the house on time, it’s essential to have a good school morning routine. We’re actually pretty good in our house, we get up just over an hour before we need to leave so there’s not too much rushing around in the mornings.
Next comes the school run. Whether you walk or drive (and we do both), the school run can be boring, but there are ways to make it more enjoyable. Here are some tips and tricks to help you to add more fun to the daily school run.
Create a Playlist
If you drive the school run, then you probably spend most of your time stuck in traffic. This can cause you to feel stressed, getting your day off to a bad start. To counteract this, create a school run playlist. Choose upbeat songs that the whole family can dance and sing along to as this will help to keep your spirits up while you’re sat in grid lock.
Vary Your Routes
Taking the same route, day-in, day-out can be boring, especially if you walk to school. If you can, consider varying your routes. This will help to keep things more interesting and keep your kids entertained. Choose a route where they can collect pine cones or conkers, pick daisies, or more scenic walks away from traffic. At the moment we always walk the same way because it’s quickest but I’m hoping when the weather warms up a bit we can take the scenic path rather than walk along the road and it will be a bit more interesting for all of us.
Play Games
Every child loves playing games and they’re a great way to add some fun to the school run. There are so many possibilities when it comes to car games. You could play I Spy, count the number of yellow cars you see, play 20 questions, spot the road signs, try memory games, the alphabet game, or for some quiet time, see who can stay silent the longest!
Add Some Wheels
If you walk the school run, then at some point, you’ll probably been one of those parents pushing a bike or a scooter home (although I’ve managed to avoid it so far!) They can be a great way to make the school run more enjoyable but scooters and bikes can be a hassle. Instead, consider a pair of Heelys – Skate Hut have a huge range. They’re lightweight, fit in a small bag, and are much easier to carry home.
Pack a Snack
In addition to the morning, there’s also the after-school run. After spending the day in the classroom, kids often complain they’re hungry. To sort this, pack healthy, convenient snacks to cure their hunger and make your after-school run more peaceful. You could choose from carrot sticks, bananas, dried fruit, popcorn or rice cakes. Toby would go bonkers if I didn’t have something for him to eat when I pick him up – his current favourites are apple & pear bars from Aldi. We find something he can eat one handed is best because we’re usually walking.
There you have it – 5 easy ways to make the school run more fun. Have you tried any of these? Are there any other fun things you do? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.