Back to school tips for children and parents

As the holidays comes to an end and back-to-school season begins, it can be hard to get back into a regular schedule for both children and adults.

To help you out, we have compiled some tips that parents can use to ease their children back into school, while also managing their own stress.

The trick is to plan ahead. Read through this list and identify some strategies that you think could help you and your family stay organized and on top of things. Then, test these different approaches as a family so you can figure out which ones work for you, and which ones don’t.

Finally, be sure to include your entire child care crew in your plans, too. Whether you have a babysitter, nanny, tutor or all of the above, they’ll be able to help you keep your kiddo on track for the first day of school. Plus, they’ll be able to take some tasks off of your plate — which means you can enter the school year with a little more of your sanity intact.

1. Set your children’s sleep schedules back to “school time” two weeks before the first day of school.
2. Get your children involved in programs they can do after school to keep them active.
3. Visit cultural attractions like museums to shift their brains into “scholar” mode.
4. Hire an after-school sitter to help care for your children while you’re at work.
5. Encourage your children to read at least one book before the school year begins.
6. Reacquaint your children with the calendar schedule they’ll use to manage their activities.
7. Let your children choose a planner or scheduling tool they’re excited to use.
8. Set up weekly meetings to review your children’s schedules for the week(s) ahead.
9. Create a family calendar that tracks everyone’s activities and commitments.
10. Give your children a specific day to when they can choose all the activities you do together.
11. Determine how long it takes them to do assignments to help with time management.
12. Teach your children to prioritize their assignments by making to-do lists with deadlines.
13. Set a regular alarm each day that signals the start of homework time.
14. Visit the school with your children so they can get familiar with their new environments.
15. Arrange playdates with two or three of your children’s friends to rebuild existing social ties.

With all this preparation, your children will be in great shape. If you’re relaxed and calm, they’ll head off to school feeling excited and ready to get to work.