By: Ashmar Mandou
As summer comes to an end and back-to-school season begins, it can be hard to get back into a regular schedule –both for kids and adults. The trick here is to plan ahead. To better assist you, we have compiled a list of strategies to ease your way into the school year. Test these different approaches as a family so you can figure out which ones work for you, and which ones do not. Finally, make sure that you include your entire child care crew in your plans, too. No matter whether you have a babysitter, a nanny, a tutor, or all of the above, they’ll be able to help you keep your kiddo on track for the first day of school. Plus, they’ll be able to take some tasks off of your plate — which means that you can enter the school year with a little more of your sanity intact.
- Set your kids’ sleep schedules back to “School Time” two weeks before the first day.
- Get your kids involved in programs that they can do after school to keep them active.
- Visit cultural attractions like museums to shift their brains into “Scholar” mode.
- Create a family calendar that tracks everyone’s activities and commitments.
- Establish a set “Family Time,” whether it’s during dinner or before bed.
- Give kids a specific day to when they can choose all the activities you do together.
- Determine how long it takes them to do assignments to help with time management.
- Teach your kids to prioritize their assignments to making to-do lists with deadlines.
- Give your kids a short break after each assignment they finish, such as short walk.
- Remove distractions like TVs and video game consoles from homework areas.
- Help your kids develop a filing system for organizing their documents for each class.
- Touch base with teachers early on to troubleshoot any issues your kids may have having.
- Create an after-school schedule that allows time for snack, relaxation, play and study.
- Have your kids pack their school bags before they go to sleep that night.
- Talk openly with your kids about their feelings about returning to school.
