Establish a school-friendly routine to prepare your child to return to school.
I don’t know how it’s been in your home during lockdown. Maybe you’ve had a really good routine with set bed times, wake-up times, activities, etc. Maybe it’s been more relaxed. Regardless, it’s probably been quite different to your regular school-time routine.
Now is a great time to get your child back into a routine that will help him or her prepare to go back to school.
Early to bed…Establish your bedtime routine.
Bed time is actually a very important part of establishing a good routine. You know your child. You know what works best for them. You know how many hours of sleep they need – and what the consequences of not getting those hours is!
So, turn those devices off, put them away. Let your child do something relaxing before bed time, like taking a warm bath, reading for a bit, having mom or dad read a story to them. And then get them into bed early enough that they can get their +- 8 hours of sleep.
Early to rise…Plan your wake up routine.
This is going to take some estimating and calculating. What time will your child need to be at school, what time are you going to have to leave to get there on time? How long is it going to take to get everyone ready and out of the door? Now, figure out what time you’re going to have to wake up.
If your child’s getting up much later that, you’re going to have to dial it back a bit. I’d do it little-by-little just to eliminate the shock to the system. But trust me, do it now so when they day comes for your child to return, it won’t be a super-stressful-super-rushed morning!
Prepare for your school time routine.
Find out as much as you can from the school, as soon as you can. The more you can prepare your child for what to expect, the better!
How will their timetable look, how much time will they be spending on school work each day? Will there be homework to factor in? How long and often will they get a break?
Now, try and work according to that routine where you can. School is a very different context to a “homeschooling” environment. So you can’t expect it to be perfect! But it will help your child adjust to working within a certain time frame, which they will have to do at school.
Factor in some relaxing and play time.
After school, your child will need some down time to relax and unwind. Until this becomes normal to your child, each day will be quite emotionally charged – whether they know it or not. They’ve had a whole day of coping with learning and interacting in a context of social distancing, reading social cues and communicating while wearing masks and sanitising all day. Not to mention not being able to give their friends a hug or high-five. It’s going to be tough!
This parenting expert, Maggie Dent, explains it so well! They need some time for their sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system to be regulated.
So, don’t expect them to jump into homework (if they have any) straight away. Rather, give them time to calm down, relax, unwind a little!
Include the chores in your daily routine.
Do your kiddos help with the chores? If not, you really want to consider it – it teaches responsibility and how to serve others, how to share the load at home, not to mention that it’ll make Mom’s life easier!
If they do usually help with chores, it might be tempting, through this transition time, to cut them some slack and not expect them to help out. I get that. But I’d encourage you to keep that going.
Dedicated family time is important.
If there’s anything we’ve learned from this COVID-19 pandemic, it’s how important family time is. After all, we’ve had at least 2 months of exclusive family time!
So, going back to school and work may seem like welcome relief (sometimes) but, don’t let it rob us of prioritising family again!
Get ready for the next day.
The last thing you need to do each day, is get ready for the next day. Momma, you probably do all of this anyway! But it’ll be a great idea to get your kiddos in the habit too, especially as they get older, to develop those organisational and planning skills.
When school starts, your child will need to check their timetable for the next day, so they can pack the right books, stationery and other resources. Get their uniforms out and ready, so there’s no mad-rush in the morning to find there are no clean socks or shirts! Get their lunches ready and packed so it’s just a matter of popping them in school bags on the way out. For that matter, you could even get part of breakfast too, if it’ll make the morning easier!
So, in the mean time, while you prepare, do what you can to start getting into these habits. Remember, it’s all about making the transition into going back to school, as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Your kiddos are going to do great!
Returning to school is still a bit of a daunting reality for parents and children alike.
I would love to connect with you and hear all about your how you’re preparing your child to go back to school! And I’d love to include you in this community of Mommies as we support each other and grow together to become the best moms we can be!
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