Some mornings feel like a race against the clock—kids rushing, backpacks missing, breakfast chaos. But a few simple house rules could make your mornings calmer and your evenings smoother. Plus, they create a structure that helps kids feel secure, manage their emotions, and develop lifelong skills.
Research from the University at Albany found that individuals who grew up with predictable daily routines were significantly less likely to experience time-management or attention problems as adults. And research published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that predictable environments reduce anxiety in children.
One routine we follow in our family: Pack lunches the night before. It seems small, but it sets the tone for a smoother morning and less stress for everyone. Over the years, we’ve discovered other house rules that make life calmer and more organized. Here are 19 of the most useful ones I’ve heard or set for my family.
Rules Around Routines to Make Life Easier
1. Don’t come to the breakfast table until you’re completely ready for school.
It makes for a calmer and more efficient breakfast. Then use flossers on the way to school.
2. Make bedtime and lights out two specific times.
The quicker the kids get their bedtime routines done, the more time they can spend reading. If lights out is 9 o’clock and it takes until 8:55 to get settled, that only leaves five minutes to read.
3. Set a weekend early-riser rule.
On the weekend, the child who gets out of bed last (potty doesn’t count) gets to decide what’s for breakfast.
Rules to Keep Your House Running Smoothly
4. You toss it, you wash it.
If you catch your child putting clean clothes in the hamper, he gets to do the next load from start to finish.
5. Use a hanging shoe rack for school outfit planning.
On Sundays, have the kids load them up with outfits for the week—socks and hairbows included.
6. Whoever brushes teeth last cleans the sink.
This is a great house rule for kids who spit a lot of toothpaste back into the sink. It also gets them moving more quickly in the morning.
7. Speak up when staples run out.
If you finish off a staple item, like milk (or printer ink!), tell Mom (or Dad), or add it to the grocery list on the fridge.
8. Make your bed every day.
It instantly makes the room look tidier and sets the intention for the day.
9. Put “everything in its place” before bed.
Toys and devices are put away, and backpacks are packed and set by the door. Breakfast plates and cups can even be set out.
10. Important papers go in a designated spot.
If something needs to be signed, reviewed, or approved, it has to go in a designated spot. Mom’s not responsible for signing a progress report that’s stuffed at the bottom of your backpack.
Rules About How to Talk With Each Other
11. Use T.H.I.N.K. to choose your words.
Is what you’re about to say true, honest, important/inspiring, necessary, and kind?
12. Instead of verbally interrupting, put your hand on the shoulder.
If you don’t want her standing there while you’re trying to have a conversation, touch her hand to acknowledge her need. This is a nonverbal conversation that communicates “I need you, Mom” and “I see you, and I’ll be with you in a moment.”
13. Respond with respect when called.
If Mom (or Dad) calls your name, the proper response is not to shout back, “Yeah?” It is to come to wherever Mom (or Dad) is.
House Rules for Kids That Keep the Peace
14. One divides, and the other decides!
When splitting or portioning food, one cuts or scoops, and the other chooses the plate.
15. Kids can veto one meal and eat something else.
Post the dinner plan for the week. Kids get one veto and can swap the meal for their official veto meal, which is the same every time and is something they can prepare themselves.
16. Mom gives a time’s up heads-up.
It’s a five- to 10-minute countdown to turning screens off. When time’s up, no complaining.
Rules to Keep Kids Safe
17. No screens are allowed in the bathroom.
Closed doors and the internet are a bad combination.
18. No locked doors are allowed.
Kids’ bedroom doors can only be closed with a parent’s permission and never when friends are over.
19. Ask before opening the front door to friends.
This rule keeps kids safe and teaches awareness of who is coming in.
What house rules for kids do you have in place to help keep your family life running smoothly?
