Rise and shine everyone, the school year is back! That’s right, we are on the finish line of summer break. And while nobody wants the warm days to end, I’m still super excited to get back into the school routine alongside the beginning of fall. You might know this already, but two of my kiddos, Tru and Tate, have started school already! I know, it’s a very early start. So I’ve had to adjust my family’s sleep schedule and return to our school year habits!
Kids are creatures of habit, we all know that. That’s why the first days back to school can be a challenge for them. They’ve already adjusted to their summer break schedule! So if you’re looking to avoid an exhausting first week of classes, you might want to ease them back into their school routine early on. A few weeks before classes start is a great time to resume regular school habits so the family can stay sane during the first days of school. Now, if you’re unsure how to get your kids back into the school routine, this post will be your go-to guide. Keep reading for my favorite tips and tricks to make switching from vacation mode to classroom mode easier!
How To Get Back Into The School Routine
Take the kids shopping for school supplies:
I have to admit, this was one of my favorite things about going back to school as a little girl! I could spend hours picking the right pens or the perfect notebook. Shopping for supplies can help your kids become more excited about returning to classes too! With the recent rise in technological school supplies and a lot of remote learning, the little ones will surely find it fun to search for bright colored items that can be enjoyed during in-person classes. Accompany them through the process of getting their backpacks and supplies ready and explain to them that soon they’ll be back in the classroom!
Establish a difference between bedtime and morning routines for weekdays and weekends:
During the school year your kids might stay up later during the weekends. But weeknights are non-negotiable unless they want to be sleepy all day long! The key is to set clear boundaries between weekends and weeknights early on. On weekends they can keep up with their usual summer break hours. But during the week it’s best to adjust their bedtime closer to the usual school year’s sleep schedule. This will ensure they understand that’s the way things will work moving forward to the start of school!
Guide your children through the perfect school day morning routine:
This is a great way to practice their school routine! You can try waking up with them on a weekday and help them complete a morning checklist. This checklist can include all the necessary steps for a successful school morning routine, such as brushing their teeth and putting on an outfit for the day. If you need guidance when crafting a school day morning routine, head over to this article where I show you mine.
Have your children create their lunch menu for the week and help prepare it too:
Ask your children what they’d like to have on their lunch menu for the week! This is a great way to get children involved and even excited to eat healthy foods. Once you’ve created the menu together you guys can help prepare it together too. That way there’s no question about what’s for lunch the following day and you look forward to lunchtime too!
Set dedicated study or reading times on weekdays:
Reading time during summer break is a perfect strategy to get them used to dedicating at least an hour of their day to homework. Once classes start, just swap reading time for homework time and call it a day! Your kiddos will enjoy reading and their minds will stay sharp in preparation for going back to the classroom.
Help the kids organize their back-to-school closet:
I love planning all my kids’s outfits for school! You can go shopping for clothes for the school year or just organize their existing clothing to make the closet classroom-ready. Set apart the outfits that work better for school so the kids can find them easily each morning. Also get their shoes ready and any cots that will come in handy during the fall/winter!
Adjust the kid’s bath time and bedtime routine leading up to the start of school:
It’s important to get the little ones used to the school year bedtime routine. So try introducing them to it leading up to the start of classes! Give them a bath or shower at night and make them brush their teeth at the time they normally would if school was the next day. Then only calming and relaxing activities should follow bath time at night such as reading, relaxing with the family, etc. No TV or other electronics that could emit blue light should be allowed for the little ones to use. Researchers have identified that blue light can greatly affect sleep quality in children. You can put this system in place for weeknights and give them a little wiggle room on weekends.
Do a big summer clean out:
Summer clean outs are a lot of fun! They help to show the kids it’s time to get past summer break and advance into the school year. It’s also a great time to sit with them and go through their toys and old clothes. Pick the items you’re donating and talk to them throughout the process!
Make eating together a priority:
Sometimes mornings are just too hectic to have breakfast together or maybe it’s the opposite and it’s dinner time that is too hard for the family to eat together. Either way, it’s so important for the family to make eating together a priority. Studies show that eating together is an important part of family bonding as well as a means to relieve the stresses of daily life. Connecting with family during meal time offers closeness and makes children feel loved, secure, and safe! Meal time together can set the tone for a great night or a positive morning for children heading back to school.
What are your favorite strategies to get back into the school routine?
Well, those were my best tips to get back on track with school! It’s best if you put them into practice a couple of weeks before classes start so the kids can ease into it without it feeling overwhelming. Also, head over to my post on 5 things to do before school starts! Use those tips to savour the last bits of summer while you can. For now, good luck switching off vacation mode!