Transitioning Back To School

Tips & Tricks!

“THANK YOU for your wonderful Expert Advice on how to transition Johnny back to school! We followed your easy tips and mornings don’t seem too crazy anymore!”
Jean & John, Parents of An Anxious Child

Do you feel ready for back to school? If you are like most parents…you probably are having some anxiety yourself about it, never mind how your children are feeling! If this sounds right for you, you will hopefully find a suggestion or two that will work for your family!

1) BEDTIME & OTHER ROUTINES…

This may not make you popular with your kids…but, have them start to transition slowly back to their bedtime and their morning wake up time’s when they are in school. Sleep and routine are two of the most important factors to any good transition.

And this may not make me popular with you…but, start prepping yourself to wake up before the kids do. The time you can get to yourself in the morning before the rush begins gives you some time to rejuvinate for your day ahead.

If there after school routine is to start homework or do dinner prep, both of those can be started immediately. “Homework” time can look like reading, doing a puzzle, researching something they are interested in (like healthy school lunches!), working on their summer journal (see below!).

And keep the conversation flowing around “when you are back in school, we do these routines as it helps you, me, the family, your teachers, and everybody in your life to be successful”!

2) NIGHT BEFORE PREP

Have your kids and yourself prepare the night before:
-lunches made & water bottle filled
-bags packed for homework, gym strip, library books, etc.
-breakfast options out & ready to be consumed
-bathroom times scheduled
-clothes and for some kids, even shoes picked out

What this means for right now is to ensure you have the above sorted out.
-Do your kids have a lunch pack? backpack? school supplies.
-What will your kids eat for lunch & breakfast? Is it at least 80% healthy goodness? Anything you can pre-prep on the weekends to make lunches easier?
-Do you have non-leak water bottles? Did you label them?
-Start having the conversation about bathroom routines! Who gets which bathroom when?!

And keep the conversation flowing around “when you are back in school, we do this pre-prep as it helps you, me, the family, your teachers, and everybody in your life to be successful”!

3) THE TEN MINUTE ADVANTAGE

Plan to leave the house 5-10 minutes before you actually have to! Sometimes that might even mean setting your clocks ten minute fast or changing the time that everybody needs to be out the door to ten minutes earlier. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book and it works! And imagine the feeling when you know you are ready to walk out the door but you can actually take a deep breath and instead set an amazing intention for your day! We dare you to try it now for the next place you have a designated time to be there.

And keep the conversation flowing around “when you are back in school, we do this ten minute advantage as it helps you, me, the family, your teachers, and everybody in your life to be successful”!

4) PLAN A BACK TO SCHOOL CELEBRATION

Arrange a back to school special sleep over or celebration.

And, arrange play dates throughout the year!

5) EXTRA-CURRICULARS

When scheduling extra-curricular activities have it based on quality, not quantity and on their interests! If finances are a concern, use free community resources like the library that have clubs (i.e. lego clubs) that meet regularly. Or, source out scholarships that pay for such programming.

5) OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE SCHOOL!

Maintain open lines of communication with the school. Ask the teacher whether their preference would be email or using the school agenda.

Plan to volunteer at school. There are many opportunities with various time commitments. Research shows that students whose parents volunteer at school thrive.

So you have probably figured out by now that we feel conversation is pretty important! Research shows that if kids truly understand the why behind what they are doing and then begin to adopt the why for themselves, their engagement and interest in doing something increases exponentially!

Let us know how it goes!