5 Tips for a Smooth Transition Back to School: Tip #1

Back to school can bring a whole range of emotions... for your child AND you! Excitement is in the air with new school supplies (especially that brand new lunch box and box of crayons), finding out which teacher your child has and meeting new families at your school. It can also be bittersweet as you say goodbye to summer beach days, picnics, and roasting marshmallows over a campfire. Perhaps you have mixed feelings going into the school year, and that is why it is important to focus on these 5 tips to help a smooth transition back to school for your family.

Tip #1: Create Healthy & Consistent Routines

This is quite possibly the most important thing to focus on for your child, and there are so many imperative parts of your day that require routines... let's go through them!

• Morning, Drop Off, Homework, and Bedtime Routines

• Healthy Eating

Routine, Routine, Routine!

• Morning: If you have elementary children, a morning routine is imperative to setting them up for a day of success. Ensure you set clear expectations for how the morning flow will work in your home. Do they make their bed, brush teeth, then eat breakfast? Do they wake up and eat breakfast, then get ready for school? Adding a timer can often help with slow moving children. Whatever you decide, stick to it! It is great to practice on the weekends or days leading up to school starting to get them in the morning routine.

• School Drop Off: This can often be a headache for parents and bring anxiety for children. Set up a solid procedure for how drop off will look in your car. Maybe you listen to a special song on the way to school, play a fun car game, or create a secret handshake when they depart the car. Often times, lingering and too much parent presence at drop off can cause the children to not want to go to school. Keeping the routine in a certain time frame and leaving your children at school with a quick goodbye can get them through the school doors and focus on their day ahead!

• Back Home: Once your child arrives home for the evening, avoid letting them dump their backpacks on the kitchen counter and run to the playroom while you clean them up. If they are old enough, teach them responsibility habits of putting their backpacks away, emptying their lunchbox, washing hands, preparing their own snack, etc. This will take the load off of YOU as the parent and help your kiddos take accountability. Maybe even have them help pack their lunch the night prior with you.

• Homework: Groans often come from students and parents when it comes to this lovely topic! To help make homework time go smoothly, set a timer, take breaks, play instrumental music, create an incentive once they finish or provide them a little help. If this is a constant battle with your child, try hiring a tutor specifically for homework help. A key piece for this routine is putting homework back in their backpack immediately so it is ready for the morning. Finishing homework and putting it in the bag should NOT be done while rushing out of the door in the morning.

• Bedtime: It is vital for children to wind down from their day and prepare for a good nights sleep. Remove electronics at least one hour before bed and create a routine (much like the morning) where your child knows exactly the process of getting ready for bed. Eventually, he or she should be able to complete the bedtime routine independently! Read to or with your child before bed. This is a huge benefit to better sleep and instilling good reading habits. Click HERE for more tips and research on proper sleep.

Healthy Eating

• What your children eat is imperative to their energy level, mood, and life balance. Ensure your child is eating a healthy breakfast, even if it is quick and on the go in the car! Try to avoid stuffing their lunchboxes with foods high in sugar- chips, cookies, sweets, etc. They need sustainable and nutritious foods to keep their minds ready to learn during the day.

• If you as a parent are able to food prep lunches on Sunday, this can help with smooth lunch packing during the week! Click HERE for some fun, healthy snacks to spice up your kid's lunchbox. They will be sure to LOVE it.

Stay tuned on Instagram for Tip #2!