How to Achieve a Good Back to School Routine
Personalizing a routine for your entire family is important when it comes to establishing good habits for the start of classes. Once you have a method that works, your family can start the school year on a positive note and without stress. Today, we’ll offer a few helpful tips on how to achieve a good back to school routine.
It’s never too soon to start getting your family organized. In fact, waiting until the last minute won’t give your children the time they need to adapt. So, the sooner you get started, the easier it will be for your children to get used to their new routine.
A good night’s sleep
Many times, parents allow their children to say awake until a lot later during the summer than during the school year. If you fall into this category, then you may need to start to implement some changes in your nighttime routine. That way, your children can get used to an earlier bedtime and start each school day with the rest they need.
More than likely, when you first try to get them to go to bed earlier, they’ll complain and want to stay up late. That’s why it’s important to start early and try to get them used to their new schedule before classes begin.
Establish a bedtime routine to achieve a good back to school routine
You’ll know what time bedtime should be if you know what time your kids need to get up in the morning. Most experts agree that children need between 9 and 10 hours of sleep every night in order to have a good day. Eight hours is the minimum, and children should never sleep less than that.
So, for example, let’s say your children have to be awake at 7 in the morning in order to get to school by 8:30. That means you should try to have them ready to go to bed by around 8:30 at night.
A few weeks before classes start, you need to start getting them used to going to bed a bit earlier. Start by putting them to bed a half-hour earlier than normal and then push the time up a little bit more each night. The sooner you begin the process, the easier it’ll be for your children to adapt to the new routine.
A good night’s sleep also reduces irritability in children. So, things will be much easier for them and everyone else if they get the rest they need. We should explain to our children the importance of sleeping well during the night. Tell them resting is an important part of having a good day because it gives them the energy they need to stay awake and have fun.
Establish a nightly routine to achieve a good back to school routine
It’s important to make sure that your children get used to following the same routine every night. For example, choosing their clothes for the next day, taking a bath, brushing their teeth, putting on their pajamas. All of these actions make up a nightly routine.
Having a set routine will give your children a sense of security and help them to relax. In addition, this process helps to cut down on complaints about having to go to bed. Often, we allow older siblings to go to bed before their younger brothers and sisters. But that doesn’t mean they can stay up as late as they want.
Decide on what things your children need to do before bed
There are several things you and your kids can do at night that will help make their mornings go much smoother. For example, preparing lunches, packing backpacks, and setting out clothes for the next day. That way, you can avoid questions like “Where are my jeans?” and “I can’t find my pencil case!” Mornings will be much more pleasant and relaxed for everyone.
Reading before bedtime
Once your child’s in bed, you can lower the lights to create a cozier environment. This is a great opportunity to connect and spend time together.
Depending on your children’s age, you can read them a story, talk to them about their day, or just dialogue about whatever your child wants. As for older children, you can give them some time to read on their own before turning out the lights and going to sleep.
Talk about the next day
Before they go to bed, you can also talk with your children about the next day. For example, what activities they have, any possible appointments, who’s going to pick them up, etc. It’s simply a matter of discussing anything they need to be prepared for in order to have a better day.
With these simple tips, you and your children will be able to achieve a good back to school routine. Remember, it’s important not to wait until the last minute. Rather, get started a few weeks before the first day of school. And of course, be sure they maintain their routine for the duration of the school year.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Fink Janet y Daryl Siedentop. (1989). The Development of Routines, Rules, and Expectations at the Start of the School Year. Journal of Teaching in physical Education.