It’s almost that time…back to school! Whether your child(ren) are attending class in person, distance learning, or a hybrid system, I hope that we can provide you with a few tips that will work for you and your family.
Children thrive with routines - they provide predictability and stability. Humans are generally creatures of habit; by instilling household routines at a young age, children can learn aspects of time management and become empowered to start the next step in doing homework or cleaning their room on their own (without nagging).
It’s fun to establish fun routines such as Taco Tuesday or pizza and a movie on Friday nights. It’s always great to have something to look forward to at the end of the week. Little things like this are big things to our children and it’s nice to have a routine that can be fun and bring you all together.
When our physical environments are cluttered and chaotic, this can lead to the same with our mental states. After a long day at school, it’s easier to decompress and get started with homework and other responsibilities when there is a system in place.
Create a drop-zone so everyone knows where their backpack, dance bag, or soccer shoes belong. It’s helpful to go through your younger children’s backpacks for upcoming events, needed signatures, and check completed work with them. By establishing routines like this at a young age, it will help your child learn responsibility.
Before the end of the day, it makes for a smoother morning if you can do as much as possible before bedtime. Have your kids choose their clothes for the next day, prepare sports bags, and prep for breakfast and lunch. For easier snack and lunch prep, I like to decant boxed items in both the fridge and pantry for easy access and visibility, keeping in mind what I place at eye level (healthier options) is most likely going to be chosen.
Establishing and implementing simple routines and systems can set your family up for a smoother back to school transition. It may take some resistance and require practice in the beginning but, in the long run, it will really help busy families start and end their days with more peace and less stress.