I used to struggle every morning to get my daughter to wake up for school — this kid can sleep twelve hours and still insist that she’s tired!
However I recently discovered a little trick that not only helps her wake up, but wake up happy. If you’ve been fighting the same battle every morning to get your out of bed, this might be just the trick you need!
How to Get Your Kids to Wake Up Happy
My oldest daughter and I have always bonded over music. Ever since she could talk, we have made time during every day to sing and dance to our “jams” (generally super-cheesy 80’s music).
Like any kid, she’s not always very enthusiastic about waking up for school. One day last week as I was tucking Lilu in to bed, I told her I was going to come in the next morning with music blaring to wake her up. That way, I explained, she would have to be in a good mood.
7am rolls around and I forget. Lilu didn’t. She sat right up in bed: “where’s the music?” I quickly retreated to my room to grab my phone.
When I came back to make sure she was getting dressed, I was playing “Higher Love” (our official family song.)
Well wouldn’t you know, Lilu hopped right out of bed with a smile on her face, already suggesting which song to play next!
The rest of the morning was entirely pleasant as we ate breakfast together, heads bobbing to the tunes playing from my portable Bluetooth Speaker
. Lilu was even ready for school ten minutes early!
My daughter is very big on traditions, so we will be “jamming” each morning from now on. Adding music definitely improved everyone’s mood — myself included. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it sooner, but I’m sure glad I found a way to make mornings a little bit easier!
So if you’ve been looking for ways to get your kids to wake up in the morning, try adding a little music. You might be surprised how effective it can be!
More on Child Sleep
“Is my child normal?” – Why Some Kids Need More Sleep than Others (with current sleep recommendations)
6 Ways to Help an Anxious Child Sleep
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We got Lilu a Buddy Bunny MP3 Player for her birthday last year and it was a HUGE hit! It’s a standing bunny that has light-up ears and plays music that you load from your computer. It’s easy for kids to use (she’s 6) and comes with a remote. Why couldn’t they have had stuff like this when I was a kid? 🙂
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leighleighspeaks says
Great posts! I have been slacking and on vacation! Keep up the good work! 🙂 great music morning idea!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Thanks!! Blogging is my “me” time so I really enjoy it. Though vacations are important too 😉
adele says
great idea I love it!!
leslie hart says
You are so correct in this observation! I discovered this not too long ago and have forgotten about it…thank you so much for reminding me!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
It’s easy to get in a hurry in the mornings and forget (I’m guilty of it sometimes), but music really does make our mornings much more fun 🙂
Devin says
Music is key to a happy morning in our house too!! Morning wake-ups used to take FOREVER and involved a lot of complaining on both our parts! Now I set the alarm on our iPad to go off at a certain time to a fun upbeat song, right now it’s “Better when I’m dancin” by Meghan Trainer. It’s all smiles for both of us, which helps us get off on the right foot 🙂
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
A musical alarm is so much more fun than a loud beep! 🙂