August 2024 Now that the schools are nearly back and the new term is beginning shortly, you may find yourself struggling to get back into a routine or wanting to hit snooze a few times before getting up.
If this is the case… Here’s a few tips and hints to make that morning school dash just that bit smoother.
Try to get back into a routine
After the long summer holiday, it may be hard to get back to a usual routine (or if you’ve kept the routine going through the holidays – high five). Start introducing a routine that makes the transition back into term time easier. It doesn’t have to be structured, it just has to work for you and your family. Be sure to include time for homework, family time and relaxation time too for you all to unwind.
Preparation
As much as it may be a pain to stay up that extra bit later to get prepped for the morning – you’ll thank yourself in the morning! Things like making sure uniforms, bags and shoes are all ready for the morning will make things much smoother as finding a lost piece of uniform in the morning can cause chaos! Lunch boxes are also another thing that can make life easier if they are done the night before. If you are super organised, you could even prep the week’s lunches on a Sunday night!
Avoid screen time
This goes for all of us – parents and kids! If there’s one thing that slows things down it’s being in front of a screen. It’s so easy to get sucked into social media, reading emails or playing games that time runs away with us. Try and keep the screen time till after the kids are ready to avoid any mad last-minute school dash. It’ll also mean they’ll want to get ready quicker to have more time to chill out/screen time before the school run.
Earlier Alarm
If you’re still struggling with getting out of the house on time it may be worth setting your alarm just that bit earlier. Even an extra 10 mins in the morning can be a great help!
As much as you may want to press snooze and go back to sleep – it’ll be well worth it to make the morning run smoother.
Family Calendar
A well thought out organisational system can make a big difference in how smoothly the school year goes. This starts with the basics such as checking school run times, working out who’s taking the kids on which days, checking after school club dates and arranging a homework schedule.
This could involve a diary, calendar or family planner that everyone has access to. This will help take the load off you as everyone will know where they need to be on each day and what they need.