Back To School & Back To Routines

As the first day of school looms over my family, tomorrow morning is our first “test” of the year, read – first day of school. Preparation is the key to anything and I feel it’s important to gear up for back-to-school in ways that don’t involve shopping for some essential items. Some things that we use in our home to get ready for the basics consist of getting into the swing of routine again.
After the long and sometimes lazy summer months, we all have late nights, lazy days at the river or pool, trips and so much more that our families thrive on through the warmest months of the year.

Part Of Rose’s Back To School Crew

Tips for getting back into shape for back-to-school other than the usual back-to-school shopping for clothes and supplies here are a few things that we use in our home to prep for the school routine.

• Slowly start resuming earlier bedtimes, for everyone. Not just the kids. If you and the kids (like us) have been rocking out with movie nights until 11PM (or later), romping around the house disguised as sleep overs with friends, roasting marshmallows and hotdogs in the yard until the witching hour then bedtime hasn’t been the routine that is during the school year. We all get out of whack during the downtime of summer. Each night you can cut back quiet time, downtime or flat out bed time by 15 minutes each night. Doing this eases all of us back into the earlier nights. You can use this rule of thumb with any increment of minutes, as little as 5 minutes or as much as 30 or 45 minutes.

By the time school starts everyone should be ready for downtime/quiet time at a more respectable time that fits the early mornings.

• Do the reverse for the mornings leading up to the first day of school. Set the alarm clock back by around 15 minutes each morning then the kids and you will be pretty well adjusted to earlier nights as well as earlier mornings.

First day of school is always so very hectic, using these before-hand tips can curb some of the anxiety and early morning crankiness for the entire family. No one wants an entire family of overly tired, cranky pants.

The night before, especially that first week (even month) of school here are a few tips that we use that you might find helpful as well.

• Moms and Dads, many of us drag to the coffee pot to wake ourselves up. Set the coffee pot up the night before. If you’re coffee pot doesn’t have a timer, then simply have everything in it and ready to just be flipped on for a quick brew.

Breakfast is key, some of us had it instilled in us during our years in elementary school that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It’s important for our kids as well as for us as parents. As we’re all getting back into the swing of things, keep in mind easy morning routines to transition from summer back into school routine.

• Grab easy but healthy breakfasts for everyone. Fresh fruit and yogurt is what we’ll be using in our home. We have 4 varieties in the fridge, some with fruit in the bottom of the yogurt cups, others with simple flavors such as vanilla, waiting for fruit or granola to be tossed in. If you even think you may have a grab n’ go kind of morning, keep these on hand.

If you even suspect that you might find yourself scrambling some mornings, instill some of these tips for various times of the year, they can be used year round to stay on track.

• Don’t’ forget, we have an amazing kitchen tool. Crock-pot.

Parents, I know you feel me here. Layer it, turn it on then eat it. Take that into consideration if you want a hot breakfast then be ready to kick it into gear for dinner when the kids come in from their first day.

I suspect many of us will deal with fatigue, not just as parents but the kids as well. Apply some of these to start the year and it’s likely you’ll come to rely on them through the entire school year and beyond. We can make this years transition into routine a lot easier on all of us by applying simple yet effective techniques to get us all up and going for the school days!

We would love to know, do you use any tips or tricks in your home to ease into the back-to-school routine?

Tags: Academic term, Elementary school, family, Kids