School’s started again, and my kids are now in 5th and 7th grades. This year (like last), I’ve got one simple goal each morning: to wake them up calmly, quietly, and without any drama or fuss.

Sounds impossible, right? I’m here to say it’s not.

There’s only 2 things you need to wake your kids up well in the morning: 1) just 10-15 minutes and 2) a good book. That’s it. Oh, and BONUS: you don’t need perfect kids to pull this off!

10-15 Minutes

I’m not throwing random numbers out there. I’ve been reading to my kids in the mornings for more than a year now, and 10-15 minutes has been our average. It’s enough time for:

• Turning on the lights (they still initially burrow deeper into the blankets or pillows)
• Making a few comments about the day while their brains navigate the fog of waking
• Sitting in my chair with a groan (I’m just waking up too, you know!)
• Making a few more comments about what we read yesterday, and then
• Reading a chapter or two.

While I’m doing all that introductory stuff, my kids have begun to stir. Sometimes when I review what we’ve read, I’ll ask a yes/no question, and if I get a groan or a mumble, I know they’re awake. But as I read, there’s no question they’re awake and listening, even if they’re not moving all that much. The story’s too good, and they don’t want to miss it. Then as I near the last 2-3 pages, I let them know it, and calmy ask that they stir and get ready to leave their beds.

By the time I’m done, my kids are awake, ready to move, and ready for the day. And since they’ve been listening to the story, they’ve had no reason (or opportunity) to complain or ask for “5 more minutes” of sleep. I’m up. They’re up. Everyone’s happy, and we’ve had no opportunity (yet) to fight. It’s the calm and quiet morning I’d been longing for.

A Good Book

I’m generally not starting my kids’ days with Harry Potter or The 39 Clues. We’re a Christian family, and I know the importance of starting our days off right, with our minds focused on godly things—but that doesn’t mean I’m reading them preachy books or delving into long prayers either. My only rule for what we read in the morning is that the book be written by a Christian (meaning it likely comes from a Christian worldview).

We’ve gone through many books this way. Some of my favorites for morning times have been:

• Books from The Sugar Creek Gang series by Paul Hutchins
• Books published by JourneyForth Press
• Books in The Lamplighter series, and
• YWAM’s Heroes for Young Readers series.

Important Points

Reading to your kids in the morning is a great way to wake them up without losing your mind. No matter what you choose to read to your kids, though (and maybe you will try Harry Potter or a chapter from the Bible), there’s some principles to bear in mind:

• The way a person starts his or her day sets the tone for the remainder of it. This goes for you and your kids alike, and I think we all know families that start their days yelling at each other to “Get out of bed!” Starting the day calmly and with stories written from a biblical worldview is a better plan than what 99% of the globe follows.
• Your children have good reasons for not wanting to wake up. Your kids don’t want to wake up, because their bed’s too comfortable (so let them stay there for a bit and listen), their dreamworld is too good (so replace it with an even better story), or they dread the coming day (so help them change their perspective through what you read and talk about).
• Your children crave quality time with you. Days get busy, and sometimes work gets in the way of the time you’d planned to spend with your kids. Circumvent all the unknowns by beginning your days with quality time.
• Your sacrifice as a parent will be minimal. I’m pretty sure every working parent can handle waking up 10-15 minutes earlier each day in order to fit in this important time with their kids. Unless you’re not in the same house when your kids are supposed to wake up, there’s really nothing stopping you. Avoid thinking, “Yeah, but…” and give this plan a shot!

I’m not a perfect dad, and my kids aren’t prefect kids. But for the past year we’ve enjoyed some pretty darn-near-perfect mornings, at least in terms of starting our days off on the right foot. If “calm,” “quiet,” and “without drama or fuss” are ways you’d like to describe your mornings, I highly recommend you wake your kids up by reading to them.

©2023 E.T.