Out of the Pool and Back to School

I know they don’t want to hear it, but it’s coming up fast. Summer daze allows for looser rules, more TV and video games, with later bedtimes. When all this comes to a screeching halt, it can be a very rude awakening!

You can avoid the chaos of back to school with a little planning. Get back into school mode routines during the two weeks before school is back in session. Gradually move bedtimes up to accommodate earlier rising hours to help kids reform their habits. Plan to have meals at normal times again, including breakfast for the kids. Another tactic is to use the time that would ordinarily be used for homework for reading, especially if they haven’t completed their summer list. This will help to reestablish this habit of schoolwork at home. I don’t want you to be accused of “ruining summer”, so don’t go overboard. Begin slowly and work up.

It is also time to take control of those spaces that will be used differently during the school term. Enlist the kids to clear up their rooms so they aren’t tripping over summer clutter as they run to catch the bus. Clear up the homework area, make it conducive to studying. Maybe it’s a desk in the child’s room or den; maybe it’s your kitchen table. (Kids aren’t the only ones who get lax this time of year). Eliminate as many distractions as possible to help kids focus and get the work done.

A good closet purge is in order, how can you know what school clothes they need if you don’t know what they have. Avoid the duplicates and the sock-less-ness. Kids grow like weeds so likely they’ll need a lot, don’t keep what no longer fits. Hand it down, donate it, or discard the beat up duds. You can also take a sneak peek at what they haven’t worn all summer, too. I always tell my clients, you can keep it all if you promise to stop shopping. uh-huh, thought so! Take the time to get the drawers and closet organized so that kids can find the attire they desire in their early morning stupors.

Here’s the biggie, the first day of school dry run. Choose a morning a couple of days before D-Day and run through the morning. You can either make it a game for your kids, or simply go through a checklist for your own piece of mind. The night before the actual day of school, have the kids pick out and lay out their outfits for the day. Fill their backpacks with day one essentials and place them by the door or where they would normally expect to find them. Stage your kitchen to make breakfast and lunch preparation a cinch. I overslept on my first day of high school, so I know how important it is to prepare the night before. Without the preparation, I might have been socially scarred for life or worse, a tardy on my permanent record.

You have planned, organized, and restored routines; your house is now a lean, mean, back to school machine!