Make going back to school easy with 5 simple tips

Welcome to August! As this month rolls in, the warm weather and lazy afternoons roll out. Your children are headed back to school, and we know this is a stressful time.

Here are 5 easy ways to make the transition simple for you and your children.

1.Take this time to make the transition

Don’t let the first day of school sneak up on you, or your kids. Use that last bit of summer vacay to stay at home and get organized. Get your kids backpacks out of the the closet, and throw away all that paperwork they “forgot” was in there. While your at it, clean out your fridge of all that summer time junk food. Fill it up with food that will resemble what your children will have packed in their lunches. This will get them readjusted to the school day life.

2. Bump up bedtime

Everyone knows getting up early for school is the hardest part. Make bedtime 15 minutes earlier as the summer gets shorter. By the time it’s the first day of school they wont have an internal bedtime of 11 o’clock, and things will be much easier come morning time. If you can’t seem to get their eyes shut, read that summer reading book they’ve been putting off out loud to them before bedtime. This will get their brains ready to absorb lessons from their teachers, as well as wind down.

3. Plan for the chaos

With the first week of school coming you are going to be flooded with all the things you forgot about. Sports, music equipment, backpacks, paper work, art project and more! I suggest creating a filing system. One file per child to keep all the important papers, as well as art projects and good grades! Over holiday breaks you can take out the files, and go through what is important and what is trash. Then at the end of the year put the file somewhere safe to look back on when your child is getting ready to graduate high school. This will be a great way to show your child that you care about their hard work, while also representing their growth as a kid.

4. Don’t deal with dressing drama

Create stress free mornings by choosing easy options while your back to school shopping. By getting an assortment of jeans and tops the all work together, your kids will be able to pick out their outfits with ease. Start the routine of laying out everything they need for the next day the night before. Line clothes, shoes, backpack, and lunch so mornings are a breeze. Hey, you can even do this one yourself! You bet my work clothes, lunch, and coffee are ready for the next day before I ever go to sleep.

5. Give and take away.

Tell your children ahead of time that if they do their chores, or wake up early they will be rewarded with TV or electronic time. By offering incentives you are giving your children the chance to earn something rather than loose something. Children also like when their chores are presented in a fun way. Try writing a bunch of difference house hold tasks you’d like help with on popsicle sticks, or refrigerator magnets. Let them pick whichever one they want. If your kids take too long to get out of the house, or if they don’t pitch in when asked, that’s when you take the reward away. Rather than giving them a punishment, they are losing a reward that had the opportunity to have. It will get your kids ready for the responsibility of the school year without making you feel like the bad guy.