3 Ways to Motivate Your Kids for Monday Morning!

The older our kids get, the harder it is to get them up and moving in the morning. Our three-year-old will still often bound out of bed, all smiles, well before any of us are ready wake up. The nine and seven-year-old? Not so much. The alarm goes off, I go in to make sure they’re getting up, open the curtains…and sometimes they don’t move an inch. I know there are other moms with me in this experience.

Mondays are usually the worst. After a weekend of family fun, my tired boys need some extra motivation to jump start their Mondays. I try to give them some extra things to look forward to on Mondays so they are ready to tackle another week. Here are a few ideas that have worked well for us:

Make a special Monday morning breakfast

“Special breakfast” can mean a wide variety of things and is different for each family. For my kids, pancakes or muffins on a Monday morning would be a special treat. These guys get pretty excited about food, so knowing they have something extra yummy waiting for them for breakfast actually gets them moving pretty well! Your children might like cereal, so save a special kind just for Monday mornings. I have one kiddo who loves eggs, so this would be a treat for him. Find a family favorite that you can make ahead of time or without much effort to bless your family to start the week! Can I recommend these chocolate chip scones that are our back-to-school tradition? The boys ask for them for every special occasion!

Talk about the week ahead

Does anybody else have calendar-watching kids? My boys area constantly checking the calendar to see what is coming up – holidays, events, lessons, days off – they want to know it all. They thrive when they know the plan and they get excited about what’s coming. We like to talk them through the week ahead on Sunday night or Monday morning. They know what to look forward to and what we expect of them for the week. It might sound less-than-thrilling, but in our family, it works as a great motivator!

Morning devotions

You might not see your kids get all excited about reading a devotion before school, but having time with God before they head out or get to work at home is the most important motivator I can think of! Whatever has happened the day before or over the weekend, I want our children to go about their days motivated by the love God has for them and the love He wants them to show others. That’s what it’s all about, people. The love of Jesus in and through our kids. We have a copy of Every Day a Blessing that has been worn out by two kids going all the way through it during morning devotions. It’s easy to understand, short enough to fit into even the busiest morning, and packed with truth. If you’re looking for a great daily devotion for your elementary kids, I highly recommend this one! Your reading kiddos could read it on their own or you could read it aloud to them during breakfast.

Monday can be rough or Monday can be the start of something epic (my son’s favorite word right now). Try some of these ideas or pick something that would energize and encourage your kids and make Mondays the best part of your week!