Routines for Making Getting Ready for School Go Smoothly?

Do as much as you can the night before and make it a routine. Bags packed and put in their spot. Lunches made. Clothes laid out and ready to go. Perhaps a few of your own rules like - get up, use bathroom, get dressed and then you can come out of your room and start the day. Not dressed, it's back to your room. Good luck!

Checklists are great! You can use a whiteboard so you can re-use it every day -- just put the list items on masking tape with Sharpie so they won't wipe off.
Or, you could do pictures for each to-do item for the kindergartner, laminate them and then he can X them out with a dry-erase marker.

Getting as much done the night before is certainly a good idea, but of course things always come up in the morning (a forgotten permission slip, milk spilled on a freshly dressed kid, you name it.)
I am NOT a morning person at all, but I learned it really helped to get the whole family up thirty minutes earlier than you think you need to. You will find some mornings you actually have extra time, but more often than not, something will happen, or the kids will just be moving slower than normal.
It's also nice to get yourself up even earlier than the kids to have a little quiet time to wash your face, have your coffee/tea, check your email, whatever helps you prepare for the day.

Before bedtime, all items needed for the morning (backpack w/ homework, shoes, jackets, car keys etc) should be by the front door. Lunchboxes should be in the kitchen ready for you to pack in the am (and any prep work you can do ahead helps too - like putting items in travel containers, etc.). My daughter and I also get out 5 outfits on Sunday and put them in the order she will wear them (only if there is something special that she needs to wear on a certain day due to that day's activities) so there is no bickering regarding clothing in the morning.

Know the time you need to leave in the morning, then know what time you need to walk out the door to insure you are backing out the driveway at that time. Then count backwards...how long does it take to get the kids ready (do you need to add a few extra "wake up" minutes), how long does it take you to get ready (so you can be ready before you get them up), time for breakfast, etc. Then add a few extra minutes just because "stuff happens". Then set your alarm for a few minutes before you HAVE to be up.

Another thing that may help is organizing a menu so you always know what you are fixing for breakfast, packing for lunch, and maybe even for dinner. That also helps w/ your shopping list so you know what you need to buy to be covered for the upcoming week.

Preparing everything as early as possible is the key! Since you like your kids to have responsibility, I would have THEM do it the night before. Clothes picked out, shoes waiting, backpack packed etc. Lunches should be made the night before and left in the fridge overnight. Also, breakfast should be planned ahead of time, and any prep that needs to happen should happen the night before whenever possible. Also, if your kids are prone to spilling on themselves while eating, have them dress themselves AFTER breakfast instead of before, that way there won't be last minute clothing changes. If you have a kids who takes a long time to wake up, then get that one up earlier so he or she can take the time that is desired. You might want to consider waking the kids up at staggered times if they are waiting for each other to get into the restroom etc. Or waking up a little earlier to give yourselves extra time. Even 10 minutes can make a big difference.

We have a bin that their backpacks go into and they are by the front door. They know that after they are done with their homework the backpacks go in the bin. Also mine are not allowed to eat breakfast until they are dressed and have brushed teeth and hair combed. I've found if they eat before they take too long to finish. 5 - 8 mins before it is time to go I tell them "stand by the door if you are ready to go" They know that we are leaving shortly after.

Each night before they go to bed they must MUST put their things where they need to be. If you don't check and make sure this is done, then the mornings will of course be hectic.

As they grow they will have learned good habits and your responsibility will lessen. It is also a good idea to take each child on Sunday and pick out 5 presentable outfits for school. Each one is a good choice. They pick from those 5 each morning and by the end of the week they have all been worn. That takes away the gazing into the closet and "What do I feel like today?".

Have your kids pick out ALL the clothes they will need the next day. Down to socks shoes and Hairbows (if they wear them). When they get up tell them they are expected to get dressed immediately (unless you have spills at breakfast in that case I would wait). Then go have breakfast. While the kids are eating (we do simple stuff: cereal, toast, oatmeal) I pack lunches and snacks. They go back in the fridge to keep cold as long as possible. Then We do hair. After that the kids brush their teeth. At this point my kids are ready. backpacks are checked and packed the night before with everything except lunch and snacks. This all takes us between 45 mins and an hour. IF we have time left over and there have been no arguments the kids can play a game, read a book, play with a few toys, and on the super rare occasion I will let them watch tv or play on the wii. If you want to make a check list that is good. Someone I know made a check list with picures of the kids doing the steps. The kids loved that idea. And they could add pics as the kids grew and changed routines.

Get as much ready night before.
Have the 2 older ones pick out their clothes night before. Lay them out.
Have them get backpacks ready by front door. You then do a check night
before to ensure all is there.
You get the 3 yr olds items ready (clothes picked out)
Get part of lunches ready/packed night before in fridge.
If you drink coffee, get it ready in coffee maker night before.
Have YOUR clothes picked out & ready to go night before.
Backpacks by front door (YOU make sure they are there at night & that
they don't need something signed etc.)
Keys always in same place by door w/your phone & purse
Their shoes always by front door. If they always wear diff shoes then hv
the pick them out night before.
Breakfast foods ready to grab, throw in bowl, idea of what ur having etc
Great idea on the checklist...Make it now when you think of it so you have
it ready:
backpacks
shoes
school clothes
lunch
keys
cell phone
purse

Make sure older ones have a routine: get up, eat, brush teeth etc
If you're prepared w/everything ready to go, then if they're slow it won't
affect you quite as much!!!! :) Good luck!
Not sure about the happy music. When I was a kid, I liked quiet w/TV on low. :) No cartoons. Maybe the Today Show. You don't want the watching TV in lieu of getting ready.

Get everything day the night before. Have clothes picked out, backpacks hanging by the door with shoes right below them, pack most of the lunch/snack the night before, make breakfast items ahead (I make a large batch of waffles every few weeks and freeze them) eggs are quick and easy, set a timer let them know when the timer goes off breakfast is over and it's time to get dressed, set it again let them know when it goes off they should be dressed and ready to get shoes and backpacks on. It will take a few weeks to fall back into the routine but you guys will find one that works before you know it :)

Look for the bottlenecks for each kid. With my stepson, it was just that he's slow...always. So he had to get up earlier than his sister to do the same amount of things. And for my stepdaughter, she doesn't leave time for things she gets distracted doing, like finding an outfit, so when she was young, we had to have her pick out something the night before. They both also took baths the night before. The checklist is a good one, and have them do much the night prior. Include checking for papers to sign with homework time. My DH used to put on rock music in the AM when it was just him and the kids.