Edu Pd
The summer holiday break is starting to look like a memory of the past as school started. Going back to school can be a challenging and exciting time. Seeing friends that we have not seen in the past few weeks, meeting our new teachers, settling in our new classroom, it can be fun and daunting at the same time. As we ease back into the new school year, here are a few tips to help your kids with the transition.
Set-up a morning routine
The first few days will prove to be a bit of a challenge to get ready on time without any stress but as the weeks progress, it will be a lot easier to get ready in the mornings once the routine is set-up. Moreover, once the expectations are set for the morning ritual, there will be less stress involved and the morning will flow a lot better. The morning routine should work for your kids and your family incorporating your daily habits. It could be as simple as getting up, brushing-up teeth, getting dressed, having breakfast and being out of the door, and it could be that you prepare breakfast and the lunch box the night before, shower the night before. Find what works for you and your family and remember that there will be days when nothing goes smoothly.
Create a sleep routine
Bedtimes may have been a bit later than usual during the school holidays. It is a good idea to start scheduling earlier bedtimes. Start with 15 minutes increments, meaning that each night you can push forward bedtime by 15 minutes at a time. It can take a week or so to adjust but eventually, bedtime will naturally occur earlier. Evening routines are good also to set expectations and know what the rituals are, and when it is time for bed.
Use a planner to structure your days and weeks and to plan ahead
Tennis on Mondays, swimming on Thursdays, family time on Fridays. Having all the weekly activities written down into the family planner will make life easier in terms of getting organised and knowing what the week ahead will look like. Using a family planner so everyone knows what is happening which days of the week is a great tool to plan and structure the days and the week.
Include some playtime and some downtime
Remember that your kids just spent a few weeks on holidays and going back to school full time can be a bit overwhelming during the first few weeks. Allow for some playtime and downtime during the week so your kids can relax and unwind from the stimulation they get in a school environment. Include some outdoor activities like a gentle walk or a play in the park to help them disconnect and refocus.
Encourage reading and limit screen time
Limiting their time in front of a screen, being a phone, a tablet, a laptop or the TV is great to help them disconnect. In high school, students spent most of their days on a device. Younger kids may not be spending as much time on a screen and you should encourage them to spend as little time as possible in front of a screen at home. Encourage them to read, to be creative and do some art activities, to be active and play outside, go for a walk etc. In the evening especially, reading is a great activity to include into the daily evening routine. Encourage your kids to discover new authors, new style of books (fiction and non-fiction). You could motivate them by setting up a reading challenge, reading for 15 minutes a day something different, being an article from a magazine, or a short story.
It is never easy to settle back into a routine after a holiday break. Remember that some days, things will not work out and some other days, everything will flow just fine. Be kind to yourself. Help your kids ease into new routines, be consistent and life will fall into place, until the next holidays.
