It is almost that time again.You know the one.The time to stick to schedules, time to wake up early, time to get out of the door on time. Ugh. It is BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!!!!!
How can you be assured that you will be ready to get everywhere, with everyone, with everything that they need? How can you help to make this the best year yet? Planning…Planning…Planning…
Ok, so lets make some plans:
Plan #1
Figure out what time your team needs to be in the car driving away (or at the bus stop) – not just heading to the car or bus stop, because that in itself is a process: Getting the bags, the lunches, turning lights off, locking the door, everyone in their car seats, making sure that you have everyone. You need to know precisely how much time it takes from wake up to driving down the street or standing at the bus stop. Keep in mind that it takes no less than an hour to get a young child (or a teen for that matter) up, dressed, fed, and out the door tantrum free. (Yes, even teens… just sub attitude for tantrum.)
Most morning problems are caused by rushing. When tired children are rushed to get dressed, grab breakfast, and get out the door, they go into sensory overload and head into tantrum land. Children need time. They need time to wake up, time to brush their teeth, time to get dressed, time to eat. Some children need A LOT of time to do these activities. Give them the time they need and it will pay off for you in the end. Grab a cup of coffee and the paper and you won’t mind so much that it takes your kid 15 minutes to put on his underwear.
Plan #2
Talk to your kids about getting everything ready for school the night ahead of time, before they hit the sack. Starting a new school year is hard enough without adding battles about what your children are going to wear to school that day, where their homework is, where their show and tell could be, where their hats ended up…. Lets start with CLOTHES.
The clothing war is one of the biggest wrenches thrown into a family’s morning plan. Let your children pick out their clothes the night before. Consider using a fun phrase for younger kids “Pick out your clothes from your head to your toes.” As long as it is weather appropriate and fits, do you really care what they look like? (Do you remember what we used to wear? Parachute pants. Over-sized, ripped flannels. NEON!!!!! Need I say more?)
That goes for lunch, too. Have your children help you pack lunch. If they are involved in the creating of their lunches, they are more likely to eat them. If they think that turkey and jelly sandwiches are yummy, well, so be it. As long as they eat it, more power to ‘em I say.
Last, kids with homework need to have it in their bags ready to go the night before. Stressful searches for homework are no way to start the day. Lunch made, clothes out, homework accounted for, and bags packed. Begin these routines the first week of school to start good habits and ensure a smooth school year. More about homework comin’ up. Let’s talk about BEFORE it gets in the bag.
Plan #3
Make a homework plan. By the end of any school year, what many parents are happy to see go is HOMEWORK. You spending more time fighting with your kids about it than they actually spend doing it. Make this year different. Be clear about homework rules. When will it be done? Where will your child do it? What happens if it does not get done? If you have a child who fights at homework time, have it be the first thing she does when she gets home. Sure, have a snack, go to the bathroom, but then homework.
They want to play? They need to finish their homework. Remember, it is THEIR homework. THEY need to do it, not you. Take the stress off yourself and put the responsibility on your child. If he really does not understand the task, make a note for the teacher. Homework is one way for teachers to know what a child does and does not understand. Remember – they are kids. They are learning new things. Homework is about practice, not perfection, especially in younger grades. Take a moment and remember how you felt about homework.
Plan #4
Practice getting up. It can be a hard transition for some children to go from waking at 8 AM to waking at 6 AM. Start waking your children up 15 minutes earlier in 2 week segments a few weeks before school starts. If they get up at 8 AM wake them at 7:45 AM for 2 weeks. Then 7:30 AM for 2 weeks. You can surely do whatever timeline works for you, but a slow change can help children get acclimated to an earlier wake time in a smoother manner. Parents of children going to a new school (especially young ones going into kindergarten or first grade) may want to practice the whole routine the weekend before.
Waking up, breakfast, getting things together, and walking to where the bus will be. Talk through these activities as you do them so that your child knows what to expect. Even if the routine is the same as their Pre-K routine, go through it anyway. Children can forget the routine or may have trouble adjusting to new adventures, which can cause anxiety. The more informed and ready that your child is for the first day of school, the more effortlessly it will go. And the more effortlessly it goes for your children, the more effortlessly it goes for you. Ahhh, a pleasantly uneventful first day of school and a less stressful year. Perfect.
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Brandi Davis, ACC, is a professional Parenting Coach, Parent Educator, and Author of O.K. I’m A Parent Now What? She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and be sure to catch her parenting podcasts on iTunes. The goal of Brandi’s practice is to bring respect, calm communication, teamwork, and FUN into the home or classroom. To discover all that Child and Family Coaching can bring to your family stop by www.childandfamilycoaching.com.
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