How to Get Ready for School

Co-authored by Katie Styzek

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References

Getting into a routine of preparing for school the day and night before makes getting up and getting ready in the morning much easier. Getting ready for school doesn't just involve waking up and getting dressed. It also includes getting your assignments done, organizing your school supplies, and having a good attitude as you start the day. By preparing in advance, you'll have more time in the mornings to sleep in or eat breakfast, and you won't be as rushed or stressed so your school days will always be off to a good start!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing the Night Before

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Pick out your clothes. If you pick out your clothes the night before, you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the morning. Choose clothes that you’ll feel comfortable in throughout the day. If it’s cold out, remember to select layers so that you can put on a jacket or sweater if you need to.^{[1]
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- If you wear a uniform to school, you can still lay it out so that you’ll know where it is and can be sure you have a clean uniform ready to go.
- Make sure your clothes fit within any dress code that your school may have.
- Lay the clothes out on a chair or dresser so that you can find them easily.
2
Take a shower. Showering every day is part of good hygiene. By showering at night, you wash away any sweat or dirt that’s accumulated during the day. You’ll wake up feeling fresh and ready to go, and you won’t need to spend time showering in the morning.^{[2]
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- If you need to do something to your hair at night, make sure to take care of this, as well. Some people sleep in curlers or tie their hair up in a rag at night.
- Make sure to also brush your teeth and take care of any other matters of personal hygiene as well.
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3
Pack your backpack. Double check that all of your books and homework are in your backpack. There’s nothing worse than getting to school and realizing that you’ve left a permission slip or an assignment at home. Look through all of your papers and your calendar to make sure you have what you need.^{[3]
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- You can ask your parents to double check your backpack and make sure you didn’t forget anything. Sometimes they might be able to help you remember something that you forgot.
- Keep folders and notebooks organized in your backpack.

1
Set your alarm clock. Make sure you set your alarm clock to when you want to wake up. Allow 10-15 minutes more than you think you need for your morning routine. This will ensure that you have plenty of time and can get ready without feeling rushed.
- If you’re used to pushing the snooze button a lot, you’ll want to set your alarm clock for even earlier, to allow for some snoozing.
- Check to make sure that your alarm clock works before you rely on it!

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Getting Ready in the Morning

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Wake up. This one is often more easily said than done. Try your best to get up when your alarm first goes off. Get out of bed as soon as you can. This will help your body and mind to wake up and will help you avoid falling back to sleep.
- It is better for your level of alertness to wake up after the initial alarm goes off. Using the snooze feature doesn’t help you wake-up.^{[4]
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Eat breakfast. Eating breakfast helps you wake up and feeds your brain with energy for your day of school. Try to eat something packed with protein and some complex carbohydrates to keep your energized until lunch.^{[5]
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- Morning protein sources can be eggs, breakfast meats, yogurt, or milk or a milk alternative like soy or almond milk.
- Reach for whole grain toast or cereal such as oatmeal or muesli. Fruit is packed with fiber, which is important to a healthy diet as well.
- There are many breakfasts that you can make in large batches at night and freeze for quick reheating in the morning.
3
Practice good hygiene. Brush your teeth well and floss if that’s part of your routine. You can also wash your face, brush your hair, and do anything else that’s part of getting ready to start your day.^{[6]
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- Some people wear makeup or put products in their hair before school.
- If you wear contacts or a retainer, you may need to have special routines dedicated to cleaning and putting in those items.
4
Get dressed. Put on the clothes that you laid out the night before. Look in the mirror to make sure that everything looks right. You can make adjustments if you need to, but don’t get caught up creating a whole new outfit. You’ll start to run behind.^{[7]
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- Check the weather when you get up. You may need to pack an extra sweater or a raincoat if there’s bad weather that you didn’t plan for.
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Take everything you need. Hopefully, you’ve already assembled your backpack full of necessities and either packed a lunch or prepared to buy lunch. Gather what you need and double check that you have everything.^{[8]
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- It can be helpful to designate one place in your house where you keep your backpack, lunchbox, coat and shoes. That way, you have everything in one place in the morning.
- Check with your parents to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
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Head out the door. You might be getting a ride, walking, or catching a bus. However you get to school, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get there. You can’t control if the bus is late, but you can control whether you’re on time to catch the bus.
- If you woke up 10-15 minutes before you absolutely needed to, you should have a little extra time.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Preparing After School

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Decompress. After a long day of school, it’s important to spend some time by yourself to decompress. Do something that helps you unwind before diving into conversation or homework.
- You can take a walk, play with a pet, listen to music or watch some TV to decompress.
- It’s okay to say to your parents, “I think I need some time to decompress. I’m pretty tired from my day at school. I’ll be ready to talk about my day a little later.”
- Taking some time to decompress will help you wind down and rest for the rest of the evening.
2
Do your homework. One of the most essential parts of preparing for a day of school is doing your homework. You want to get it done the night before so that you’re not trying to get it done on the morning that it’s due.^{[9]
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- You may want to get together with friends and do your homework together to help you focus.
- Ask for help from parents or a tutor if you need it.
- Some people find it easiest to do homework right after getting home before decompressing. Notice what seems to work for you and when it’s easiest to focus.
- Study for any tests or potential quizzes that you have the next day.
3
Spend time with family. This might not seem like it’s related to school, but spending time with family is a great way to unwind and to process what’s going on in your school life. You’ll get to tell your family what you’ve been up to which can help you understand how much you’ve been learning.
- Spending quality time with your family is also part of being well rested and ready for the next day.
- If you and your parents all have busy lives, you might not get to spend much time with them after school. Take advantage of any time that you all have free to connect and talk about how school is going.

Community Q&A
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Question

What if the school runs person is always late?

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Tell your parents and ask them if they might be able to have a talk to the person responsible for school runs. It's also important to have your parents find another way to get you to school on time if this continues to be a problem.
Question

How do I make myself get out of bed early enough in the morning?

Community Answer

Get to bed early the night before so you're not too tired in the morning. Set an alarm on your phone, or set a few alarms if you tend to turn your alarm off. Sometimes it helps to set the alarm and place it across the room so you'll have to actually get up to turn it off. Once you're up, you're less likely to go back to bed.
Question

How do I make sure I won't miss my alarm?

Community Answer

If you're worried about sleeping through your alarm, set 2-3 alarms for 10-15 minutes apart. Turn the volume all the way up. You could also ask a parent, sibling, roommate, etc. to make sure you're awake.