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Social Story for the Morning Routine
Mornings are hard for a lot of families. A child who does not know what comes next will wander, stall or melt down over socks, and the clock does not care. A short routine that is the same every day, in the same order, takes a lot of the arguing out of it, because the routine does the telling.
This social story goes through a school morning step by step: waking up, the toilet, getting dressed, breakfast, teeth and shoes. Reading it at bedtime the night before, more than once, means the steps are already familiar when the alarm goes off.
✨ Or make one starring your child, free in seconds ↓
What will happen, in order
- Wake up and stretch
- Toilet and wash my face
- Get dressed
- Breakfast and brush my teeth
- Shoes on, out the door
Read the steps together in the daytime, more than once. The free printable below has these steps at the top and the bedtime story underneath.
Max and the Morning Train
A free story to read aloud tonight
Every morning, Max rode the Morning Train. It was not a real train. It was what Mom called the morning, because it had stops, and it always went in the same order.
First stop: Wake Up. The curtains opened, the light came in, and Max stretched his arms up high, as high as they would go, like a giraffe reaching for leaves. Second stop: the Bathroom. Toilet, wash hands, splash some water on his face. Brrr.
Third stop: Get Dressed. Max’s clothes were already on his chair, because he picked them the night before. Underpants, pants, T-shirt, socks. Max liked to do it as fast as he could, and today he was faster than the toaster.
Fourth stop: Breakfast. Cereal with banana on top. Then the fifth stop: Teeth. Brush the top, brush the bottom, brush the sides, spit. Max made a train noise while he brushed. Choo choo, swish swish.
Last stop: Shoes. Velcro shoes, one, two, and his backpack on his back. “All aboard,” said Mom, and they walked out the door to school, right on time, without a single argument about socks.
That night, Max put tomorrow’s clothes on his chair, ready. “Will the Morning Train come again tomorrow?” he asked as Mom turned out the light. “Every single morning,” said Mom. “Same stops, same order.” And Max fell asleep knowing exactly what tomorrow would bring.
How do I make mornings easier with a young child?
Keep the steps the same every day and in the same order, and do as much as possible the night before: clothes on a chair, backpack by the door, shoes where they live. A simple picture chart of the steps helps many children follow along without being told each one.
My child takes forever to get dressed. What helps?
Laying out the clothes the night before removes the biggest decision. Some children like a race against a timer or a song, and some do better with fewer choices, like picking between two shirts. Praising the steps they do on their own usually works better than reminding them about the ones they have not done.