It’s that time of year where many parents are already exhausted from shopping the back-to-school sales for supplies, shoes and the first day of school outfit. (as are our budgets right?) Getting back into the school time routine again after a summer full of fun and family time can seem overwhelming for many of us as parents.
The following is a short list of what has helped our family personally to get our kids motivated and ‘back in the saddle’ so to speak when that fall school bell rings it weary toll.
For most children and even parents, the hardest part is just getting out of bed every morning! Most of us are NOT morning people lol!
Is #BackToSchool season a struggle for your family? Try these tips to make for a smoother transition! #familylife #parenting
Here is my first tip that I feel is the MOST important to start with:
Retrain your brains and your bodies:
Train your children AND yourself for an earlier bedtime and morning wake-up time a good 1-2 weeks before school starts. This will help to reset your body clocks for starters but will also help with the argument of “why do we need to go to bed NOW mom?” Make it a routine, and stick with it.
If it helps to start 20 minutes earlier every night until you’re at the normal school night bedtime, that’s great, for some families it means setting the time the same as it would be as if you were going to school. If you live somewhere where it’s still dark when you need to wake up, consider an alarm clock that stimulates the sun rising for a more natural and gradual morning wake up routine for you and your children.
If you live where it’s really bright outside at bedtime, consider purchasing blackout curtains/panels for your children’s bedroom windows. This will help alleviate conversations such as, “it can’t be bedtime it’s still light outside mommy!”
Do your mornings look like this too?
Also, I recommend cutting down on screen time a minimum of 30 minutes before bedtime. Studies have shown that screen time before bedtime can inhibit your ability to fall asleep at a reasonable time. I’ll leave that to your parenting instincts. If your kid is suffering from insomnia, pay attention to their bedtime habits; device time may be more of a hindrance than a help. But hey, no judgments from this mama. This is one of the biggest battles in our home-front.
Back-to-school shopping means family fun time!
One of the ways we make going back to school fun for our kids is involving them in the back to school shopping or price match at your local stores, if shopping with them is generally not a huge chore, take your kids along and let them be part of the selection process when you can.
Does the idea of shopping for school supplies with your kids give you major anxiety?
Let’s face it, not everybody enjoys taking their kids shopping. If the battles aren’t worth it to drag them along, I HIGHLY recommend doing as much shopping online as you can. If that’s not feasible there is always your local retail store that does grocery or delivery orders. This was a HUGE time and SANITY saver for me this year, no doubt! The sooner you do the better to avoid supplies running out. Our local grocery store was WIPED out of the most common supplies a few days before school started!
Create a homework station:
Dedicate a space in your home specifically for homework and school projects like the one shown here. Have everything your kids will need to finish their tasks such as; pencils, pens, rulers, markers, glue sticks, calculator etc. This will hopefully cut down on the “MOM where’s a pencillllll! I can’t do my homework nowwww!” Not that I’ve ever had that shouting match before… eh, hem.
Chill out moms and dads!
Ever heard the saying “If mama ain’t happy ain’t NOBODY happy”? Well, there’s a reason for this. When I am stressed to the max it affects the way I react to everything. I constantly have to remind myself to B.R.E.A.T.H.E! You can’t teach your kids how to handle stress and anxiety if you are obviously not handling it yourself. I need that reminder more than most of you reading it believe me! If my kids sense my anxiety or stress then they too become anxious and stressed out.
Even if I am stressed I try my hardest to put on a good show in front of my kids by slapping on a happy face and making my kids laugh as much as possible. Before I know it the show becomes a reality and I really DO feel better! Funny how that works huh?
I am trying to ease my kids into back to school by talking about it and encouraging healthy, positive discussions and addressing their concerns head-on. Especially with the start of a new school and a new town! I don’t know about you but I could use ALL the energy I can get when school starts again! I’m always amazed at the variety of times my online friend’s children are back to school. When do your kids start school?
One of the things I’ve been trying recently is maintaining a healthier lifestyle by eating less junk and healthier foods as well as getting more exercise. I’m also trying to get back to relaxing myself through mindful meditation and yoga to help strengthen my back and keep me calmer and less stressed out. It’s a good reminder that in order to take care of our families, we need to first take care of ourselves. Like the oxygen mask on an airline flight, first place your mask on, then your child’s.
I hope these tips will make for an easier and less stressful transition into the back to school season for you all. If you have any of your own you would like to add, please share yours in a comment below! Would love to hear from you.
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As the founder of Why Not Mom; a unique online directory of mom-owned boutiques and mom-invented products, Tonia has strived to create a unique organization of female business owners, creating a diverse network that assists each other in driving more business to one another, in addition to providing tools and resources to achieve success in their business endeavors. It is her passion to make Why Not Mom the world’s largest online directory of women-owned businesses in the pursuit of strengthening families and supporting small business owners worldwide.
My best tip I use is getting up an hour early to get my emails done.It has helped me not to get behind in the morning rush to get to school.
Thanks for the tip Rebecca!