Disclosure: I’m proud to partner with CVS/pharmacy for the Back to School Healthy Essentials campaign. I am being sponsored by CVS/pharmacy for my posts and activities, but all opinions expressed are my own, and all product claims or program details shared should be verified at CVS.com or with the appropriate manufacturers.
My oldest son, Carter, started second grade this year, and I told him that second graders make their own lunches! But hey, why stop there? Turns out, second graders do everything they need to get themselves ready in the morning! Hmm, who knew?!
Carter is 7 now, and he is more than capable of getting himself dressed, packing his own lunch, and getting his own breakfast. However, he often needs to be told several times what is left for him to do.
So I made him a printable to help him remember the different things he needs to do!
This printable reminds him to eat breakfast, get dressed, brush his teeth and hair, pack his lunch, put on shoes and socks, and pack up his backpack.
I still help, and I double-check that he has everything he needs, but it’s awesome for both me and him that he is becoming more independent.
Breakfast might be the biggest challenge. My kids have a hard time choosing what they want to eat in the mornings, and remembering what is a good food to eat at breakfast and what is not. So the other day we sat down and talked about what their options are for breakfast.
Some of the things we usually have on hand are: bananas, breakfast biscuits, fruit bars, yogurt, toast, applesauce, and cheese sticks. Notice a theme? These are all things they can get themselves!
We love the Gold Emblem Abound brand, from CVS, because they are free of artificial flavors and preservatives. Okay, they don’t know that but I do! They just know that they taste delicious.
Carter and Vanessa love the Blueberry Breakfast Biscuits, and Harrison scarfs down the Fruit & Veggie Snack Bars. They all enjoy the Gold Emblem Abound fruit crisps, which have no added sugar.
The Gold Emblem Abound line includes product benefits right on the front of the packaging, so you can easily choose the snacks that will help get you and your kids going for the day, in a healthy way! If you’ve got school-aged kiddos, they definitely benefit from having a healthy morning meal, so they can focus and do their best at school.
And when you encourage and empower kids to do things for themselves, they learn important things like time management, problem solving, and independence, and it helps to boost their self-esteem.
Some mornings are still hectic here, but then there are mornings when Carter wakes me up, fully-dressed, fed, and ready to go! I knew I liked him!
Day 14’s challenge for “Baby Steps to a Better You” is to help your children to help you! Are there things you are doing for your kids that they can really do for themselves? If so, start to make the transition to them being responsible.
Even very small kids can perform tasks such as throwing something away in the trash, or putting toys in a bin. Older kids can unload the dishwasher or set the table.
When you turn over a little responsibility to your kids, it is good for you and them! They need to learn these life skills, plus they will see how you have trust in them, and their self-confidence will skyrocket!
1 comment
This is a great idea. We actually do a somewhat similar visual schedule for my boys. It’s helped a lot!