Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Morning time
athomemommy 06:28 AM 01-13-2012
What does your morning look like? That time before you get started. I like to make it unstructured but they go crazy. Tv time they don't watch. I need to make breakfast and this is the time my husband is still here. I want them sit and work on something. Getting them to is another story. So do tell what you do until the kids get here or your hubby leaves.
Reply
momma2girls 07:04 AM 01-13-2012
I have tv on, so I can get my children up, ready, changed, fed, for school and preschool. Plus I have to greet all 3 of my families. It is really busy in this house till about 8:45am
Reply
Blackcat31 07:04 AM 01-13-2012
Morning is not a good time to have kids sit and do anything quietly. Transistion is difficult for kids and after sleeeping for the last 8-12 hours, they definitely don't want to have to come and be quiet some more...kwim?

I would allow the kids to free play but in order to keep the chaos down, I would put only certain activities or toys out.

For example, until everyone arrives, I put out a box of Lego's or whatever else hasn't been over played with regularly. The trick is to keep them interested. I give 3 choices of things they can free play with and rotate the choices as needed. That way they stay interested and there is no out of control chaos.

After everyone arrives, we start our day.
Reply
Cat Herder 07:36 AM 01-13-2012
I have breakfast prepared and ready to go before they arrive.

Once everyone gets here we all sit and eat....then off to free play while I clean up.

Now, I scheduled my opening time to correspond with my family's morning routine. We have already had breakfast as a family and everyone is out the door prior to DCK's arrival. (I am up at 5, kids on bus by 6:50, DH off to work at 7, open at 8.)

I even have up to an hour of alone time with my newspaper, dog and coffee most mornings. It is WONDERFUL!!! Some days I take my kids to school for meetings or run some "forgotten" object/assignment to them at school.

During summer DH and I get to have "date" breakfasts.... the kids eat with the DCK's by choice (so they can sleep in to 8am).
Reply
mickey2 07:49 AM 01-13-2012
This is my morning.

My day starts at 5 30 am. I get up get myself dressed and ready for the day. My first little one (dcb 17 months old) arrives at 6 and goes straight to play in one of my toddler sections. My 8 year old son wakes up just before 7. At this time this little guy goes into his highchair for his breakfast while I get my son ready for school.

By the time my son has had his shower and is dressed his breakfast is ready and he sits down to eat while I prepare the others kids breakfast for their arrivals. 17 month dcb who has been here since 6 am and has been up since about 5, then goes down for a nap at 7 15.

By 7 20 am 2 more of my dcks boy 3 and boy 2 arrive and they go directly into their chairs and have their breakfast. At 7 45 my 2 year old dcb arrives and he also goes directly into his chair and has his breakfast. |My son then gets his outdoor clothes on at 7 50 and he goes out and waits for his bus. Once my son is on his bus all the children may go down and play.

I do not allow drops offs between 7 45 am and 8 15 am as this is too much of a distraction for my already settled and quiet daycare kids and also for my son who is getting ready to go out the door as well as a safety issue with parents pulling into my driveway while my son is standing at the end of it waiting for his school bus.

At 8 15 the last of my children arrive and are served breakfast and then join the others playing. Anyone arriving after 8 30 am who has not eaten must wait for snack which is at 9 30.

There are times where they do not like to sit and wait but they know that this is the rule until my son leaves for school. All dcks have been with me since 11 months of age so are used to doing this.
Reply
Reply Up