Before asking the child to do anything, ask one forward-looking question. It gives the brain a pleasant anchor for the day. Something to move toward rather than a void of demands. Children who resist waking are often responding to an absence of reason to be awake.

How to do it

1Before you ask for anything at all, one question: 'What's the first nice thing happening today?'
2Let them answer. It can be small. Breakfast counts.
3'Good. That's what we're getting up for.' Then start the routine.
4Don't correct small answers. The point is having a reason, not a good enough one.

Variations

If they say 'nothing' or won't answer: offer your own first — 'Mine is coffee that's still hot' — a small or silly answer from you lowers the bar enough for them to try.
How it ends: fold straight from their answer into motion — 'Good. That's what we're getting up for' — so the answer becomes the reason to move, not a separate conversation that has to end.

💡 Parent tip

Ask before opening curtains, before any demand, before anything else. The question comes first. Order matters. The question loses power if it comes after a command. This builds a positive start to the day ahead of time — if resistance is already peaking, use a physical/sensory reset like the Morning Wiggle instead.

What your child develops

Future orientation — a forward-looking thought interrupts morning inertia
Positive framing — reframes getting up as moving toward something rather than complying with a command
Emotional priming — a pleasant thought at the start of the day changes the chemical starting point