5 Strategies to Ace BACK-TO-SCHOOL
8july / august 2024
Back-to-school can be an exciting – and overwhelming – time for both kids and parents . The sun-filled days of summer shift into the scheduled school days of fall , often with new routines , new teachers , and new classmates . Mornings before school can be hectic and stressful , especially at the beginning of the school year . The non-stop and structured nature of the school day itself can be draining , particularly as kids get used to the new schedule . There are often after school activities and homework . It ’ s a lot .
To help ease the transition from summer vacation into the school year , here are 5 strategies that have worked for my elementary school-aged kids :
STRATEGY 1 : PLAN THE MORNINGS IN ADVANCE .
Mornings are hard . There never seems to be enough time and yet there is so much to do .
A strategy to get ahead of this inevitability is to have several discussions with your kids about what the morning will look like prior to the first day of school . Come up with a game plan together of exactly what needs to be done and when to keep the mornings under control . Planning together leads to predictability and buy in . It ’ s not the parent telling the kid what to do , it ’ s teamwork .
My kids need an hour to get ready , and we break that hour into three 20-minute segments . In the first 20 minutes , they wake up , get dressed , and brush their teeth and hair . In the second 20 minutes , they eat breakfast . In the final 20 minutes , they make their lunch , pack their backpacks , and put their bags , shoes , and coats by the door . If there is any leftover time , they can use their iPads – small rewards go a long way for my kids .
Be willing to follow your child ’ s lead , which helps with buy in , but also stand your ground when something simply is not working . For example , my kids often want to eat breakfast before getting dressed , but this is an unmitigated disaster for us so is not an option . You may find that laying out clothing the night before helps with decision-making in the morning . Or that having lunches or bags packed in advance alleviates morning chaos . Continue discussing the mornings with your children and tweak as necessary .
STRATEGY 2 : PLAN THE AFTERNOONS IN ADVANCE .
Afternoons can be just as challenging as mornings , especially as kids are getting used to the new school day and all that is being asked of them during the course of the day . My kids are often totally spent by the time they get home in the afternoon . As with the mornings , I find it helpful to discuss the afternoon agenda with the kids in advance and get their input on what needs to get done – and what they need – when they get home in the afternoon .