With the new school year right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about getting your kids back into the school routine. The days of going to bed late and sleeping in will soon be replaced with early nights and homework sessions. The sooner you can get them back into the swing of school, the better.
Here are 4 tips for getting your kids back on track:
1. Gradually reel in bedtime.
One of the hardest parts of adjusting to school is getting bedtimes back to normal. Instead of enforcing an early bedtime right away, slowly begin to reel in their bedtime so that their internal alarm clock can reboot. For example, if they’ve been going to bed at 10:00 pm and begin school in two weeks, push forward their bedtime by 30 minutes every 3-5 days.
2. Knock out the junk food.
From ice cream trips on hot days to cakes during summer birthday and graduation parties, summertime is full of sugary sweets. To get your little one ready for lunches filled with fruits and veggies, start replacing their mid-day sweet snacks with things like grapes, carrots, and smoothies.
3. Get back to a meal schedule.
To prepare kids to head back to school, not only do you have to knock out the sweets, but you also have to get them back to eating 3 actual meals every day. The ‘whenever we want’ eating style isn’t going to work with a structured school schedule, so start cutting back snack times little by little. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some yummy treats here and there, though!
4. Create a morning routine.
Even as an adult, morning routines help to get us focused and ready for the day. Spend the last week or two before school developing a morning routine that works for both you and the kids. This way they’ll know what to expect when school begins, and it will take off some of the pressure that comes with getting ready for school. Not to mention, it’ll save you from running out the door with a half-dressed child and an unpacked lunchbox every day!
Just because the summer is ending, doesn’t mean the fun has to end, too! The perfect way to end the school day is with a trip to see your little one’s favorite purple monkey. Stop by, tell us what you learned in school, and jump the rest of the day away at your local Monkey Joe's!
