Resources · Daily routines

Making mornings easier: small ideas for families

By Sangeetha (Sang) Varghese, Occupational Therapist · 5 November 2026 · 4 min read

Illustration of a breakfast table with a bowl, toast and a drink bottle, shoes underneath and the sun rising outside the window

Shoes that can’t be found, a jumper that feels wrong, one more request for breakfast, and the clock ticking. When families talk to me about the hardest parts of their day, mornings come up a lot.

How I look at a morning

As an occupational therapist, I spend a lot of time thinking about everyday routines. To an adult, getting ready is one job. To a child, it’s a long string of small steps: remembering what comes next, doing up buttons, coping with how clothes feel, and stopping something fun to start something else. All of that, usually with someone saying “hurry up”.

So when a morning falls apart, I try to ask which step got stuck, and not what’s wrong with the child or the parent. Here are some ideas to try. Take what suits your family and leave the rest.

Start the night before

Lay out clothes together.
Pack the school bag and put it by the door.
Keep shoes, hats and drink bottles in the same place every day.

Show the steps

A simple picture chart on the wall or the bathroom door is one idea. Draw it with your child, or take photos of them doing each step, and tick steps off as you go. A review of the research on visual activity schedules for autistic people judged them strong enough to count as an evidence-based practice [1]. I haven’t found the same evidence for other children, so treat this as an idea to try. I’d keep it short, with four or five steps.

Illustration of a morning picture chart with four steps: get dressed, breakfast, teeth and shoes on, with the first two ticked — A picture chart can be this simple. Your child’s own drawings or photos are even better.

Give a little more time

If you can, plan extra time for the part of the morning that takes longest.

Think about the senses

If something causes a fight every day, such as tags, seams, socks, a loud radio or bright lights, I’d ask what your child is noticing. Sensory differences are commonly reported by parents of autistic children [2]. Whatever the reason, soft clothes, a quieter room or a slower start might be worth a try.

Choices, not orders

Offering two choices (“Do you want the blue socks or the grey?”) is a small way to give children a say. A meta-analysis of 41 studies found that giving people choice was linked with more intrinsic motivation, effort and task performance, with larger effects in children than adults [3].

Be kind to yourself

There will still be hard mornings. That’s part of family life, and it isn’t a measure of how you’re doing as a parent. If mornings feel very hard for a long time, you’re welcome to talk to me about it. You don’t need a diagnosis or a referral.

References

This article is general information. It is not advice about your own child. Talk to your GP or another health professional about any health concern.