The first few days of September feel like such an early start for getting ready to get back to school, but with billboards and social media campaigns flooding since last month, it’s gradually sinking in. The transition between summers without routine to the disciplined school year isn’t automatic, and to avoid shocking our kids’ system, be it their internal clock or daily rhythms, it’s preferable to start as early as now.
So how can we help our children change into school mode?
Here are two surefire tips to get over sluggish summers and into active winters.
Sleep:
During summer vacations filled with travel, road trips, relatives coming from abroad, play dates, beach days and late nights, an early bedtime isn’t very practical. Instead, our kids’ sleep is sporadic, and while we might benefit ourselves from that extra shut eye, it isn’t ideal come autumn. Start 2 to 3 weeks before school begins by adjusting their daily routine to factor in early sleep. Don’t shock a child who is used to sleeping at 11 P.M. to suddenly being in bed by 7 P.M.; however try 15 minutes earlier each day until d-day. Towards the afternoon, start settling at home, make bath time earlier followed by dinner and milk (or your alternate nightly plan). Read the bedtime story earlier, remove all tablets and cell phones so your kids relax, dim the lights so they will subconsciously recognize it’s nighttime. Not only is early and regular sleep timing important, so is waking up. I know how hard it is to wake up a sleeping child, you don’t want a tantrum or a bad day, plus they look so darn cute when they lay in bed, but you must be reminded that setting the alarm clock early will set their day into routine and make for an earlier bedtime.
Supplies:
A major part of getting ready to go back to school is the new stationary and books that surround it. Take your children with you and have them choose their backpack, their pencil case, water bottle and everything required. Once they are involved in the decision, they will be more excited to head back wearing their favorite cartoon characters on their backs, showing their pencils to their friends and so on. Make sure to put a positive spin on it, and trust me on this one, you’re going to want to make a big deal about how cool their supplies are because kids can be flaky, one day he likes Cars the next Paw Patrol, one day she likes Elsa and the next it’s Dora. So always be excited about their going back to school with new supplies to avoid unnecessary costly purchases.
With these pointers, back to school will definitely be a smoother and more pleasant experience for both our children and us. All it takes is planning ahead of time and some patience in instilling routine once again!
Maria Najem
Photo: istockphoto.com
