With the school year starting just around the corner, it’s time to start transitioning kids from the summer routine, back to the school routine. The days of summer may have been long, and your kids may have been going to bed at 10 pm or later, but with a 7 am wake up time (or earlier!), it’s time to change the schedule. Instead of making the change in the night before school, have a transition plan ready so that your little ones aren’t cranky on the first day of school.
1. Make sure they’re getting enough sleep.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a variety of sleep schedules it supports, depending on the age group. AAP supports kids from ages 3-5 years should get 10-13 hours a night of sleep. For kids ages 6-12, they should get 9-12 hours a night. For teenagers ages 13-18, they should get 8-10 hours a night. To help make sure that they get enough sleep, promote a no technology policy in the bedroom so that they can equate their room to bedtime and sleep and there are no distractions in the room to keep them awake or wake them for some random reason.
2. Start at least a week before school begins.
Small adjustments of moving bedtime back by 15 to 30 minutes a night should help kids get back on a sleep schedule. Depending on the child, you’ll have to get them up earlier as well, by 15 to 30 minutes each morning. Hopefully, by the time school starts, your kids will be going to bed on time and waking up in time to attend class each morning and have a nutritious breakfast. If your kids are having a difficult time getting good sleep, look into sleep hygiene. It is a great help.
3. Create a snack station to help kids put together their lunches.
At night before each school day begins, spend some time having the kids put together their lunches. Put bags of apples, watermelon, and other perishable snacks in a drawer in the refrigerator, along with jelly sandwiches, Lunchables, and other lunch items for the kids. A shelf in the pantry or a large drawer in the kitchen can hold nonperishable snacks such as Oreos, pretzels, and crackers. This way you can let your little one pack what they want to eat for lunch from the selections that you are comfortable with them eating. While at the same time reducing the amount of time you have to spend preparing their food.
4. Create a space for library books.
Find a shelf or basket for the kids’ library books. Once school starts, it means many trips to the library. Don’t mix your books and library’s books or it may mean some hair-pulling when it’s time to separate the books! Keeping the books separate will help kids with their boundaries in determining which are the family’s books and which books are borrowed. Moreover,this will also help to keep your home beautiful and organized.