It’s officially Back-to-School time! Going from lazy summer days sleeping in, to school mornings of getting up, getting dressed, getting packed, and getting everyone out the door is tough for anyone. Check out our tips for transitioning your child back to school.
Develop and maintain a structured morning routine. Consider writing out separate morning routine tasks that need to be completed for each member of your family. Does everyone need to brush their hair and teeth before eating breakfast? But, does your 6th grader need to pack their own school lunch while your 8th grader needs to pack their afterschool
bag for extracurricular activities? Writing these tasks down to serve as a reminder can not only make the morning routine more efficient, it can also minimize the amount of reminders you have to give everyone, thereby potentially serving to reduce conflict or demands first thing in the morning.
If your elementary school child tends to be more of a visual learner (something our evaluations can assist you with determining), consider using pictures of tasks they need to complete instead of a bulleted list. For children learning to read, pairing written words with pictures can also serve to support their reading development!
During the first week of school (or more, if needed), you should also consider waking your family up 30-minutes earlier than usual as they re-adjust to their morning routine and sleep schedule. Also consider if there are tasks that can be completed the night before (and provide your child with a checklist of those tasks). For example, can they pack their bag the evening before? Lay out their clothes? Put non-perishable snacks in their lunch boxes? Doing so will alleviate the tasks that need to be done in the morning.
Check out the following website for some printable morning routine options: http://printables.familyeducation.com/parenting-problem-solving/parenting/62773.html.
2. Ease back into a school hiamoe (sleep) schedule. WebMD recommends: “Begin with a wake up time that is about an hour earlier than usual. For example, if your 6-year-old goes to bed at 9 p.m. during the summer and needs to get back to an 8 p.m. bedtime for school, begin by waking her up at 7 a.m. instead of letting her sleep until 8. Then try inching her bedtime back the next night to 8:30 p.m. On day two, wake her up at 6:30 a.m. and aim for an 8 p.m. bedtime.” (https://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/get-kids-up-for-school?page=2)
3. Organize your ‘ohana (family’s) calendar: Develop a system (e.g., electronic calendar on your device, wall calendar) to organize all of your family’s activities and appointments in one place. Think extracurricular activity practices, school holidays, doctor’s appointments, parent-teacher conferences, work trips or presentations. All of these tasks should be clearly marked on one calendar so you can see what you have coming up and to plan ahead to avoid surprises or missed appointments. PRO ORANIZATION TIP: Coloring coding the activities/appointments by family member is also useful. That way, you can see in advance if there is an in advance and consider potential carpool or rescheduling options.
4. Take advantage of opportunities to “meet your kumu (teacher):” If your child can meet their teacher(s) before the new school year begins - either in-person or virtually - don’t miss the opportunity to do so! Meeting a teacher before school beings, during an informal, non-work visit, may allow your child to feel more comfortable with their teacher and even develop rapport before the demands of instruction begin. If your child is attending a new school, tends to have difficulty meeting new people, transitioning, adjusting to new situations, and/or has an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, this is specifically recommended to assist your child in their areas of need.
5. Attend “back-to-school nights,” open-houses, or orientations: If your child’s school offers the opportunity to tour the campus and visit classroom(s) this is another don’t miss opportunity! Doing so may help your child ease back into school, making them more comfortable with returning to campus and more clear on “what to expect” when they do.
If your child is in middle or high school, seeing where their different classes are on campus according to their schedule may also be beneficial as you may assist your child with planning ahead. For example, should your child take both their math and science textbooks with them to math class because these classes are back-to-back in Building A while their locker is in building D? Helping a child plan their schedule and organize their materials is particularly beneficial if your child is new to a school, has issues with planning and organization, and/or has been diagnosed with an Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Similar to meeting their teacher(s) in advance, allowing your child to get to know their school and classrooms in advance – whether virtually or in-person – can make returning to school more comfortable and less ambiguous. Familiarity breeds confidence! So, help your child get ready for school by knowing what to expect.
Attending orientations and open houses also allows your child to meet key players at school such as teachers, TA’s, counselors, principals, and front desk staff, making potential future interactions with these individuals less overwhelming, should support be needed as the school year progresses.
6. Consider planning out home lunches. Remember in elementary school how you got a monthly lunch calendar and looked forward to pizza or sloppy joe days? Using a calendar to plan your lunches can help you plan out your week/month, assist with grocery shopping, determine healthy options, and minimize chaos during the morning when trying to throw lunch together at the last minute. Don’t forget to consider leftover dinners that can serve as home lunches. You can also find lunch ideas here: https://www.familyeducation.com/kids/health/nutrition/10-easy-ideas-better-bag-lunches-0#slide9. These can help you save money and minimize morning hassles!
7. Help your child develop independence: Although it may take longer at first, teaching your child to pack their school bag, prepare their lunches, or even tie their own shoes can make things faster and easier for you and your ‘ohana in the future. Yes, it may slow you down at first. But, the eventual time saved – and increased independence for your child – is a win-win! However, don’t forget to teach your child a skill and allow time to practice it with them before making it a part of their independent morning routine! Also, we suggest providing extra time in the schedule for your child to complete new tasks they are working to master!
Don’t forget to stay calm and remain positive! Keiki take their cues from you. So relax and plan on! You got this!
(see our June Blog post for tips on Mindfulness and Meditation).