It's the back-to-school scene every parent dreads: The alarm goes off, the kids yank their covers over their heads and refuse to budge. When they finally emerge, they spend forever trying to decide what to wear, fight over the bathroom and make their way at the speed of molasses to the breakfast table, where there is, of course, nothing acceptable to eat.

That was the kind of day we had in mind a few months back when we asked you to send your best ideas for easing the morning rush hour. Judging by the hundreds of impassioned letters we received, many of you clearly know firsthand what we were talking about.

Thankfully, your letters contained more than just horror stories. They were full of ingenious solutions, from games that spurred kids out of bed to schedules that prevented bathroom traffic jams to simple strategies that made clothing squabbles a thing of the past. On the next few pages, you'll find our favorites: 20 tried-and-true strategies that have helped other families, and will hopefully help yours, get off to a smooth start each morning.

Set the Mood With Music: From calming classical to rowdy rock, tunes are all it takes to get the blood pumping in a number of households. Dianna Burrows of Sparks, Nevada, challenges her kids, Lexie, seven, and Patrick, three, to see if they can all be dressed by the end of a certain song each morning.

In Highland Mills, New York, Mary McClennan adds a different twist: She has to have breakfast on the table and her six- and seven-year-old sons have to be dressed and seated by the end of a tune. Both moms report the technique has improved their families' moods--and speed--in the mornings.

Go to the Dogs: Want to get kids up and moving without a struggle? Try taking yourself out of the equation, suggests Susan DeLee of Texarkana, Arkansas. Her family's dog, King, is more than happy to assist when nine-year-old Alexandra is clinging to the sheets.

Anita Mawer of Simi Valley, California, wrote in with a fun variation on this idea: She gave her daughter, Mandy, 12, the job of feeding their two dogs. "Our Lab-Dalmatian mix sings for his breakfast. Just one chorus from him and our daughter rouses herself," says Anita.

Heat It Up: Several families wrote in with a secret technique that lures their children out from under the covers, especially on cold mornings: tossing their clothes in the dryer for a few minutes to make them toasty warm. "My kids are always in a hurry to put their clothes on before they get cool again," says Joanie Christian of Colville, Washington.

Quick Tips: For many readers, getting a special alarm clock for each child and letting him or her be responsible for setting it is a simple and effective motivator.

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