Back To School

Summer in my house started off strong. We had routines established, we were going to bed at a reasonable hour and I was even squeezing in a little “school work” here and there. Well, I can honestly say the wheels have fallen off, it has been weeks without a schedule or consistent bedtime, and I am starting to panic as the school year is rapidly approaching! 

After taking a few deep breaths, I realized I still have time to get us back on track before the first day of school, so I decided to share my plan of attack with you.

Sleep Schedule

This summer our sleep schedule has shifted by at least an hour or more. Waking up at 8:30am and casually coming downstairs for a leisurely breakfast won’t fly in about two weeks so this is what I will focus on first. Beginning at least a week before the first day of school I will start to wake my kids up a little earlier each day. I try to make this a gradual change. Waking them up too early too quickly can cause them to be overtired, which increases meltdowns and, in my house makes bedtime a lot more challenging. My kids have been sleeping until about 8:30am so I will start to wake them at 8:00am for a few days and slowly move it back a half hour each day. On the other end, I begin to put them to bed about a half hour earlier. This slow shift will make a HUGE difference the first week of school!

Morning Routine

It is time to start thinking about what you want your morning routine to be this year. What worked well last year? What didn’t work? Your kids are older, will you add any new responsibilities to their morning routine? Once you know what you want the morning to look like now it’s time to teach your child the new schedule. Read that again. You need to teach them the schedule! They are not going to remember the schedule from a few months ago and they definitely need a refresher in your expectations. Save everyone a lot of stress and spend at least 3 days going over the plan before the first day. I am a huge fan of visuals, so maybe try a checklist or chart to help kids remember the routine. I have included a picture of the visual I use at home and have made for several families I work with at school.

Academics

I had big plans this summer for all the reading, writing and arithmetic we were going to do. Those plans were pushed aside with long beach days, bike rides and too much screen time. As a teacher, I know the impact of the summer slide, but as a mom, I know it's near impossible to stick to a schedule that includes anything academic in the summer. Again, it's never too late. Start small, have your kids start reading at least 20 minutes a day until school starts. I will also have my kids start journaling about their summer. They can write about anything they want, but they must write for at least 15 minutes (for my little ones this includes drawing a picture). As a motivator we share our writing at dinner, this way each child gets a chance to show off their work to the family. I also will be restarting our math fact practice. This is usually less formal for me. We practice our facts in the car, on a walk, or before bed.

Books

Back to school can also be an emotional and anxiety filled time for many children. One of my favorite ways to address the feelings children might be having is through reading books. Some of my favorite back to school read alouds are below. If you have a child who is particularly nervous about the start of the year I recommend you read my blog, 5 Children’s Books to Support Anxiety.

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The Crayons Go Back To School

First Day Jitters

A Letter From Your Teacher

Here is an example of a visual schedule/checklist that I have used at home with my own children and have made for families I work with at school. These are easy to make or you can find options on Etsy to buy. We have also used the Skylight Calendar chore chart for our morning checklist.