Improving Back-to-School Routines
The end of those long summer days brings with it the excitement of a brand new school year – and the stress of getting back in a routine. How can you get the family prepped for what is bound to be a fabulous academic season? Consider some tricks that will help everyone get back into school mode .
Make Sleep a Priority
It’s okay if you let the kids stay up late during the summer because they could sleep in whenever they wanted. That all changes once the school bell rings, so make sleep a priority well past the first day of classes. It’s all about routine:
- Set new bedtimes and quiet time standards for everyone including mom and dad.
- Establish quiet nighttime activities like a warm bath, snack and a book to settle them down before going to sleep.
Invoke a Homework Schedule
This is a practical way to reinforce positive study habits even on nights when there isn’t work to complete. Give your kids assignments to do during the hours typically established for homework, even if they don’t have any that night:
- Create art projects
- Practice math and spelling
- Assign a book to read and talk about it
The point is to get kids used to sitting down and completing something at the specified time. This way they won’t hurry or rush through assignments.
Fine Tune Your Morning Routine
Mornings are rough when school starts, so get the family in a strict routine that includes:
- Waking everyone up at a school-appropriate hour
- Getting them to sit down and finish breakfast on a time schedule
- Make sure they are dressed and ready in time to leave for school
- Walk to the bus stop or be waiting out front at the right time
Your morning routine should include a little daily prep work, too, such as:
- Laying out clothes the night before
- Packing snacks and lunches ahead of time
- Getting the backpack ready each day before they go to bed
Families are usually very prepared the first week of school, but keep chugging through your good habits well into second semester. You certainly won’t regret it.
Back-to-School Celebration
If you haven’t done this already, take this chance to say goodbye to summer and hello to a new school year with one last barbecue or picnic. Talk about what you did during the summer and then discuss what is coming next like:
- What are the goals for this academic year?
- What extracurricular activities and clubs interest you?
- Who are you looking forward to seeing at school?
This is a chance for parents to help kids decide what they want to achieve in the coming year, so do some research. Bring information with you about the school like what activities are available plus pictures of the school, classroom and teacher if possible.
From getting your school physical to talking about the great school events to come, you can make going back to school something worth looking forward to for your kids. What tips and tricks do you use?