Today is rung 1 of 2 on this topic
Running their own morning
Can do: Gets dressed, packs their bag, and gets to the door with two or fewer reminders.
Why it matters
Executive function — sequencing, remembering, self-starting — is a school skill in its own right, and it's practised at home or nowhere.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Every single step requires an instruction, and mornings run on adult adrenaline.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What do you need to do before we leave?"
Solid looks like: Three steps, in order, from memory.
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes to make, then daily
Picture Checklist
- 1List the morning steps together — dress, breakfast, teeth, shoes, bag.
- 2They draw or photograph each step. Their pictures, not yours.
- 3Tape it at their eye height by the door.
- 4Point at the chart instead of speaking: "What's next on your chart?"
- 5Let them tick it off. The ticking is the reward and it's enough.
If it's too hard
Three steps only, and do them alongside the child.
If it's too easy
Add a timer and let them race the chart, or add an evening version.
Say this
"Don't ask me — ask your chart. What's next?"