From Flip-Flops to Backpacks: Easing into the School Groove

School is just around the corner - maybe you’d like to keep your blinders on and pretend it’s not coming, or maybe you are really excited to personally celebrate the kids’ first day of school. Regardless of where you stand, it’s best to begin transitioning now so that your kids are set when school starts up again. Transitioning from summer routines to school routines must be intentional. To help everyone adjust smoothly, here are 5 practical tips to consider putting into practice.

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Gradually Adjust Sleep Schedules 
Chances are your children have different sleep schedules during the summer than they do during the school year. My kids tend to stay up later and sleep in later, especially my teens. My youngest son wakes up like clockwork no matter what time of the year it is, but he’s more the exception than the rule. I recommend beginning to adjust your children’s wake up times and bedtimes by 15-30 minutes. If you start soon, you could do this weekly to get to where you need them to be by the time school starts. If you wait, you may need to adjust it by 15-30 minutes each day to reach it.

Create a Morning Routine
Think about what your children need to do in the morning before they go to school. They need to get dressed, eat, brush their teeth, and do their hair. They may also need to  shower, do morning chores, or walk to school. Begin to practice this routine with your kids and look for things that need to be adjusted (maybe it takes longer for your kids to eat or do their chores than you budgeted for). Try laying out their clothing, packing lunches, signing folders, doing homework, and getting their backpacks ready to go the night before to help save time in the morning.

Organize Your Home Environment
Where do your kids put their backpacks? What do they do with their lunch bags or water bottles when they get home? Is there a place they put their folders that need to be signed or notes that come home? Think about the start of the school year for teachers - they spend a few days (or weeks, depending on age) teaching a system of organization; students learn where to put their backpacks, lunch bags, folders, homework, gym shoes, and water bottles so that for the rest of the year, it’s just second-nature. By considering this in our homes we will set up our family for success. (Note: Don’t be discouraged if your kids come home the first week of school and throw their backpacks on the couch, and leave their folders, lunch bags and water bottles tucked away. Gentle reminders and practice will help them begin to remember, and it will be well worth the effort for the rest of the year.)

Give Kids a Voice 
When we give kids input, they are much more likely to “buy in” to what we would like them to do. One easy area is having them choose the clothing they are going to wear the next day. You could choose to do one day at a time or the whole week by using a clothing organizer. Pro Tip: Some people avoid the fight of getting dressed in the morning by having their kids sleep in the clothes they will wear the next day. 🙂Ask your kids what ideas they have for lunches and snacks and make a list (this will help when you are trying to prep lunches the night before and are out of brainspace for the day).  Talk about the changes your kids will notice between their summer schedules and their school schedules and the feelings they may have.

Reduce Your Summer Activities
Thankfully, most summer activities begin to wind down on their own in August, but it’s important to begin to reduce spontaneous late nights out or activities that will impact the sleep schedules you’re aiming for. Consider giving your teen an earlier curfew. Plan activities for earlier in the day to make sure your kids are home in time to begin their bedtime routines. Save your longer day trips for the weekends so there is less disruption to your daily schedule. Also, try to focus on evening activities that are quieter in nature, like playing board games or reading a book series as a family. 

Hopefully these suggestions begin to help you look ahead to the start of the school year. Implementing changes in our kids’ routines gradually will help them stay more regulated. Our goal is to have a smooth transition from summer to school for everyone. If you want to talk about your situation specifically or need help figuring out how to best implement a new routine in your home, please reach out - I’d love to hear from you!