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.