That time of year when the laid-back summer vacation comes to an end and kiddos transition back into school mode can be rough. Here are 5 ways to help kids get ready for school after summer break!
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Back-to-School time is so busy! There are so many changes and it can be overwhelming for a lot of kids and parents. Preparing ahead of time is the key to help get ready for school after summer vacation. With a little planning and these 5 easy changes, your kiddos will be ready for school and have the best start possible!
Also Read: Labeling School Supplies – how to keep it easy and organized
5 Ways to help kids get ready for school after summer vacation
Ease back into routines
One of the best things about summer is the chance to buck the normal routines and go with the flow. However, with kids this can often get out of control.
It can make the start of a new school year difficult if you don’t start easing back into routines gradually.
At the start of summer, I always have big plans. We did pretty well with our reading time and even a little math time… But, as the summer went on, more screen time snuck in and what little routine we had went out the window. Any other moms see this happen?
The earlier you’re able to start getting back to a regular routine the better. The key is to help kids know what to expect and what is expected of them. Small changes leading up to the start of the school year will help make the transition easier and help the be ready for school!
Also Read: Morning Routine for kids: how to set yourself up for success
Start going to bed earlier
A good night’s sleep is so important for the beginning of the new school year. Especially with all those first day jitters, getting kiddos to sleep at a decent time can be hard.
One of the things I worry about the most is that the kids can transition from the later bedtimes of the busy summer to a normal bedtime. We’ve been trying to move bedtime up for a while already, but the kids are having a hard time getting to sleep earlier. We’re sticking with it! By the time school starts in a couple weeks, hopefully our early planning will help.
Gradually moving up the kiddos’ bedtime a little bit at a time is a good idea. Even just an extra 10 or 15 minutes every couple days will help better than changing the time all at once.
Also Read: 21 Pinwheel Sandwiches for School Lunch
Start waking up earlier
The goal of getting kiddos to bed earlier is basically because they need to wake earlier during the school year. Maybe your kids are already early risers. Therefore, the goal is actually to get back into the routine of getting ready for the day earlier.
At 6 and 8, our kiddos have seemed to finally hit the age where they sleep past 7. Another big change this summer has been their willingness to be lazy in the mornings. This is the first year that they haven’t been in a rush to get downstairs for breakfast and have wanted to stay in their pjs and take their time.
A good nights rest, along with getting up and ready for the day is one of the best things you can do to help kids get ready for school after summer break.
Also Read: How to keep kids from waking up too early
Start any new responsibilities early
Have you been thinking about giving the kids new chores, implementing a new rule for the school year, or putting a better plan in place?
Ease into it now before school starts.
At our house, it’s time for a chore list and more responsibilities for the kids. The unpredictability of summer had this mom full of excuses for not starting and sticking to these new responsibilities. I can also see doing the same when we are all overwhelmed with the start of school.
The time to begin is now!
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Create your chore chart, daily schedule, or new system before the big change. That way, the kids won’t be caught off guard when school starts.
We also all know those first couple weeks can be rough. If you want to get into a better routine, it helps to explain the expectations before school begins and start to get used to it now.
Also Read: 3 Ways to help young children love cleaning
Get back into learning mode
Even if you actively try to prevent the summer slide throughout your summer vacation, it can still be hard for little ones to get back into school mode.
Sitting still, listening to directions, and completing tasks will be expected all at once so it helps to ease back into it at home.
We tried to keep a little school time going through the summer, we really did… I’d say, even with my good intentions, it happened only a time or two each week. Luckily, we found some amazing tools to help get back into learning mode right before school.
We are loving these TinkerActive Workbooks! You know we are big on learning through play. These books do just that.
The colorful pages present a math or science concept and then give the kiddos an activity to complete to bring that concept to life. Things like creating a catapult, air rocket, color-changing celery, or growing a seed. So much fun! The kids think these are more like fun activity books than workbooks.
TinkerActive Workbooks are an amazing quality and value, and can be found wherever books are sold. I just saw them the other day when shopping for school supplies at Walmart. You can also find them on Amazon! If you do, TinkerActive would love if you’d leave a review! You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
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