Hello August! Here we are getting ready to start school! Some of our children have either already started or are getting ready to start school. If you have toddlers this can mean Pre-school, TK also known as Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten. The adjustment is here during this month not just for the children but for the parents as well. So how do we manage the change within the home? I am going to share a few key points within this blog to help make for a smooth transition that hopefully helps everyone within the home develop a routine they like.

Routines are great in theory, and they help everyone get on track with their day(s) but getting started is the hardest part especially when there was not a prior routine. There are questions you may ask yourself such as what should my routine look like? How do I know if it will work with my family? How do I introduce it to the family? Routines vary and they are to be adjusted so they fit the needs of your family. Keep in mind what one family does may or may not work for your family.

Children benefit from having a routine due to know what is coming next, so they are not surprised when you are trying to get out the door by 7:30am on a Tuesday morning, or why you’re waking them up at 6:30am every day. If you have littles who constantly ask the “Why” questions such as why are you rushing? Why do I have to get up early? Why are we leaving so early? Why do I have to go to school? Do not be alarmed, this is natural. Developing a routine and including them in it will help them become more aware of the answers to these questions.

As a family creating a routine can be helpful and ease everyone’s anxiety surrounding the day-to-day schedule. Make sure to schedule “down time” when kiddos and parents are off work. So often children get home from school and their parents tell them to do their homework. However, it’s important to give them time to decompress from their day. We as adults are in no mood to work an 8-hour day just to come home and have to do more work, children are the same. Scheduling a 30–60-minute break from the “Work” can help both the adults and the children be more attentive when they are needing to go back to the frame of mind of work or school mode. Develop a schedule that feels realistic for your family and take a moment to notice the change that the whole family will feel. Below is an example of what you could print out and provide as a guide for the family to create a schedule. For smaller children Pictures may help as well to demonstrate what they are to be doing during a certain time for example 7am brush teeth, 7:10am eat breakfast etc. Take a moment during the evening and create a realistic schedule with the family for the family in efforts to help the adjustment during this transition of time and new school year.