With the new school year right around the corner, NOW is the time to get back into some routines, consistency and scheduling to set your family up for success. While it seems like there is still time left of summer, these small changes will make all the difference as you transition from the end of camp to the start of the school year!
- Sunday Family Meeting
Teamwork makes the dream work! When families work together, expectations can best be met and understood. Sundays are a great time to have a quick family meeting to discuss the weeks plans. Whether it be extracurricular schedules (sports, clubs, lessons), dinner ideas, late work meetings, etc., it’s a good chance to get everyone on the same page. When your child knows the schedule for the week, they can hold themselves more accountable!
- Find a consistent wake up time
With the last few weeks of summer here, now is the time to get into a habit of waking up at a consistent time. It has been known that a habit takes 21 days to form. While we may have missed the boat by a few days, it is important to get into the swing of it now. Together, with your child, talk through a morning routine and what time allotment is needed for each task to set up for success. Work backwards through that. While it may seem “silly” to your child to practice this, it will be way easier when they aren’t scrambling on the first day of school!
- Create a PM routine that works
Similar to the above suggestion, find a PM routine that works! It needs to be realistic in nature so that your child (and yourself) can be accountable. There is nothing worse than setting unrealistic expectations (go to bed by 7pm, etc) and failing the first week. Talk through a plan that works for the family. Some kids don’t get home until later in the day and have sports or other obligations at night. By discussing what works for each of your children, you will find common ground and work together towards a goal!
- Establish Expectations for Breakfast & Lunches
All kids have different levels of independence, but one thing that can certainly help is having your kids hold some ownership over either breakfast, lunch, snack, or a combination of these. Together you can brainstorm different breakfast ideas (kid friendly that are easy to make) and the same with lunches and snacks. Together, you can work towards ensuring that your child has what they need to be productive and effective in this endeavor. I truly feel that this activity has so many benefits including responsibility, organization, and time management!
We hope you found some of these helpful and we here at TT2G are excited for a successful start to the school year. If you choose one of these routines to start, consider it a win!
Have a routine that works for your family? We’d LOVE to hear from you!
Live.Laugh.Learn,
Jenn