Transitioning from the laid-back, flexible summer schedule to the intense school schedule can be tough for both you and your kids. Summer days have few deadlines, but school has daily deadlines from
getting to school on time to turning homework in. No wonder it’s a difficult change to make!
Even if you or your kids are looking forward to fall and the start of school, the end of summer break can bring up feelings like sadness, grief and anxiety.
All transitions involve an ending. It’s hard to have something you enjoy come to an end. Your kids (or you) may still wish to hold onto the summer even as it slips away, so here are a few ideas to make your transition back to school a little easier.
Identify the chaos in your morning routine
The first day of school is a stark reminder that summer break has ended, like it or not. How can you plan ahead to make the transition as smooth as possible for both you and your kids?
One place to start is to look at your morning routine. What does your ideal school morning look like? What drives you crazy in the morning? Which situations set you off in the morning?
- Screaming at your kids to get out of bed
- Seeing wet towels left on the floor
- Rushing around in a desperate attempt to find library books that are due
- Arguing over appropriate clothes to wear to school
- Scrambling to complete school forms that are due
- Nagging your kids to brush their teeth
- Reminding your kids for the umpteenth time to hurry up so they won’t be late
Now the trick is to change your routine so your mornings are pleasant instead of filled with panic and hurry.
Envision your ideal morning and make your mornings easier
How would you like your ideal morning to go? One way to do this is to look at the opposite of what you do not want.
For everything listed above that was stressful, what do you want instead?
- Your kids wake up on their own to their alarms and get out of bed
- Your kids hang up their towels after showering
- Your kids find all their library books and put them in their backpacks the previous night
- You’ve discussed what clothes are appropriate for school; your kids understand the guidelines and lay out what they will wear the night before
- All school forms have been completed and put in their backpacks the night before
- Your kids have their own morning chart they use to make sure they get everything done, including brushing their teeth
- Your kids take responsibility for getting ready and out the door on time; you’ve already established the consequences for being late or needing a ride from you
Identify how you would like your family’s morning to go and make it happen. The next step is to turn responsibility over to your kids and teach them any skills they are missing.
Make sure your kids share your understanding of each task. For example, ask your kids to describe how the bathroom should look after they are done using it in the morning. If their description doesn’t
match yours, you can then clarify what you would like.
Set your family up for success
A positive morning is a wonderful start to the day, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. You and your kids undoubtedly have many things going on after school and in the evenings.
How can you keep track of everyone’s activities and reduce the stress caused by surprise commitments? Have a regular family meeting on the weekend to get everyone on the same page.
During this meeting, review what’s happening in the upcoming week. Make sure all the activities are on your family calendar. When the meeting is finished and the calendar is updated, place the calendar
where everyone can easily see it.
You may also want to use this meeting time to discuss any issues going on within the family and brainstorm possible solutions. Some families keep a notebook where anyone can add items they would like
to discuss at the next meeting. This same notebook can be used to keep notes of any decisions made during each meeting.
If your kids split their time between two households, it can be more difficult to keep everything straight. It may be helpful to use a 2-week time chart that shows who your kids will be with and what
activities are going on each day.
When you plan your family’s schedule, aim for enough downtime to allow each person time to recharge. Having stressed out, overscheduled kids or parents will bring families to their breaking point!
It’s up to you to figure out what works best for keeping your family running smoothly. By striving for a healthy balance between activities and rest, the transition to the busier school routine will be more
enjoyable for everyone.
Photo credit: theMomiverse.com
