4 Easy Ways To Prepare for Back-to-School
by Karen Johnson, LMHC, CCTP, CCATP-CA
Summer is quickly coming to an end and in a couple of weeks, your child will be returning to school. This can be exciting if you are prepared or sound like a lot of work if you have a long to-do list of things to complete.
Here are four easy ways to get you and your family into a routine for the back-to-school grind.
1. Make a Schedule
Kids and Teens thrive and succeed when they have a routine and schedule. When they know what to expect, and what the plan is for the day. As you get ready for back to school get your child’s school bell schedule and help them make a plan for the first week of school.
2. Establish a Sleep Schedule
Summertime sleep schedules can be inconsistent for kids and teens. To get kids and teens on a sleep schedule, start going to sleep earlier 10-14 days prior to school. Changing their habits can change their sleep hygiene. A couple of tips that can help:
· No Naps-During the Day
· Set a Wake-up Time. (sleeping in is over)
· Avoid Caffeine
· Go to bed when sleepy
· No Phone or Social Media an hour before bed
3. Start a Morning Routine
Early mornings can be challenging. When you are trying to get kids and teens out of bed and dressed for school. Then fighting traffic for school drop-offs, all before 9:00 am.
Planning your back-to-school routine is a great way to start the school year. You can have a family meeting to establish your wake-up schedule, and also take some time to discuss what needs to happen each morning.
During the lead-up to school, practice waking up at the set time and then slowly adding in steps of the new routine. If you have small kids, you can have them practice getting dressed and brushing their teeth and getting their backpacks ready. If you have teens have them pick out their clothes for the first week of school and prepare their breakfast in the morning. Whatever routine you follow make sure it works for you and your family, so you avoid any unnecessary morning frustration.
4. Attend Open House
Open houses/Meet and Greets are a great opportunity to meet the school administration and hear about updates, new safety processes, and school rules. Even if you’ve heard it all before each school year brings a new set of rules and lots of changes. So, attending an open house can help you and your student be ready to start out the school year effectively.
So that’s it! Four ways you can re-start your back-to-school routine now…
…so that when that first day of school hits, you, your kids, and the whole family will be ready..