Create a Simple Routine. 5 Back-to-School Hacks – For you & them

With just a couple weeks away from the school year beginning in this neck of the woods, can you already anticipate the sound of morning alarms, grunts, and moans from the dreaded early-morning wake-up call to start the day?

How about the hurried shuffle from school pick-up to sports practices, music lessons, dance classes… and the rushed scurry back home for dinner, homework, and the overall wind-down from the day – just to do it all again the next day. 

I know, just thinking about it is exhausting. 

That’s why hacks for creating a back-to-school routine are essential for not just surviving this transition, but actually feeling anxiety and stress-free when it is just inevitable that there is a lot to do and different schedules to manage.

But before we begin – and because my anxiety just made a noticeable uptick just thinking about the new school year ahead – let’s first start by taking a nice deep breath in.

Hold it at the top for 3…2…1…

Release.

Deep exhale.

Much better.

Let’s end this summer on a relaxed note and dive into how to create a back-to-school routine that will not only help your family be successful for the new year but you as well! All while remaining stress-free… mostly. Because life.

5 Hacks for Creating a Back-to-School Routine – For Them and You.

Step 1: Ease In

It’s intentional this blog is coming out a couple of weeks before the school year even begins. Humans are mostly creatures of habit. And I don’t know about your household but once school lets out and summer begins, our entire routine shifts drastically.

While it becomes much more laid back, it’s still fairly consistent within that laid-back vibe. Everyone still typically wakes at the same time each day, just later, and goes to bed around the same time, just later as well.

And as you probably witness within yourself, sometimes it takes a little time to adjust to these transitions. So give yourself some grace here and allow some time before the new year to start your transitions.

Ideally, allow you and your family 1 - 2 weeks to begin this shift in routine, before the school year starts. Use the tips below to help!

Step 2: Clear Out the Old and Revive Your Spaces

Kind of like spring cleaning, do an end-of-the-summer clean. As the weeks wind down and the overall high-energy of summer shifts to a more slow-moving and relaxed energy as we head into fall, it’s a great time to declutter, organize, and remove or put away things you won’t be needing as you head into fall.

Think of this as a flow with the seasons – offering gratitude and appreciation for the summer season and all it brought, while welcoming in the cooler weather and transition into fall.

But this doesn’t mean it has to be all on you either! Have the kids join in as well and take ownership of their own spaces and belongings. And because they love being like their parents, as they watch you do the same, it won’t seem like such a big chore. Blasting some music with lots of dance breaks always helps too.

By the end of it, you’ll undoubtedly feel that shift in energy, leaving you feeling organized and ready for this new season. And your littles will feel it too!

Step 3: Establish an End-of-the-Day Routine

This is different than a bedtime routine. We’ll get to that too. But an end-of-the-day routine is before the bedtime routine even starts and acts as a great segway.

And end-of-the-day routine can start with any task of your choosing, but for the benefit of your sanity and your kids’ cooperation and consistency, I’d say choose a specific task that signals, to them and you, that the end-of-the-day routine is beginning. There is a defined shift in energy and focus. 

Say you choose dinner as the starting point for this routine. And end-of-the-day routine could look like dinner with family, then cleaning up dishes with kids helping parents with dinner clean-up in some way. While you finish dinner clean-up, kids can go around collecting toys, putting away clothes and belongings left out from the day.

Another option to start the end-of-the-day routine could be homework once the school year actually starts. But I’d also pay attention to whether your kids do better getting homework done right away or if they need time to let out energy from the day first.

Either way, you’ll all notice the distinct shift from play and fun to end-of-the-day wind down and clean up. Once clean-up is done, this could be a good time for showers or baths, evening snacks, and final uses of TV and tech.

Step 4: Create a Bedtime Routine

Bedtime routines can look so different from household to household. But a good distinction between the end-of-the-day routine and the bedtime routine is the removal of stimulating activities and tasks and the transition into calming activities and tasks. 

To begin, first allow you and them enough time to really complete the bedtime routine without feeling anxious or rushed. A shower can also be a great marker for a bedtime routine depending on your family. Other activities to include within the bedtime routine are reading a story, practicing deep breathing or stretches, brushing teeth, choosing outfits for the next day, putting away homework and preparing lunches for the next day. 

And, as a way to ease your mental load and stress, and to encourage their own executive functioning, encourage your kids of all ages to be a part of these routines. It’ll only make it easier for them to develop consistency and routine as they get older. 

Lastly, as the end of summer approaches each day, slowly begin to make bedtime a little earlier to prepare everyone for those early-morning wake-ups.

Step 5: Begin Easing Into an Earlier Wake-up Time… And Make Them Relaxed

Naturally, with a bedtime routine comes a wake-up routine to follow. For some, as bedtime slowly shifts to an earlier time, you may notice wake-up times naturally start to shift earlier too. If you’re one of these people, go with it!

But, if not, just take a little extra step in setting an alarm to wake up a little sooner. Each day set it a little earlier until the school year begins.

You may notice some reluctancy from kids … and maybe yourself too. So be gentle with this transition. It’s okay to hit snooze. With the kids you can just start by opening the curtains first. This doesn’t need to be a jolt to the system, especially when it’s technically still summertime. But “practicing” earlier wakeups, as silly as that may seem, can be helpful in preparing your for the super early mornings during school time.

For all of you parents, maybe start integrating earlier wake-up times before everyone else wakes up. This will allow you to start the day within your own energy and as slowly as you need to start the day off feeling prepared and ready. Start with a big glass of water, maybe journaling or breathing, meditation, or exercise. Anything that will allow you to find that center.

A Final Tip: Follow the Sun

This isn’t so much a step as it is a tip for all. Continue to follow the sun! Waking with the sun and resting when the sun rests will always help to keep you circadian rhythm healthy. And it makes those early wake-ups less difficult. 

So while you can, spend as much time outdoors as you can. Enjoy the warmth and sunshine while it’s here. Lay in the grass, enjoy the water, and ground your feet into the earth whenever you can. I promise you’ll notice the difference.