Back to the Routine
Like many of you, my kids have their first school week of the year under their belt, and for the rest of the family it means creating routines to help things run as smoothly as possible.
In that vein, I’m sharing a few tips to help you jumpstart (or restart) some routines for these first few weeks of school:
*Items used daily for school need a home. And everyone needs to understand where it is. Many of my clients share frustrations that school things end up all over the house. One of the main reasons is that these items do not have an agreed upon home, so they end up wherever it’s convenient at the moment. I suggest designating a home for your child’s backpack and lunchbox, as well as a place for communication to school and home from school. Then make sure everyone in the family is aware and is responsible for putting these items in their home every day. The earlier in the year you can start this the better (although it’s never too late!). This also helps foster a sense of independence from an early age.
*Pack lunches early. It never ceases to blow my mind when friends talk about making school lunches in the morning. It’s hard for me to imagine having the time to pull that off in the morning (and if you do, think of all that time you would earn back!) It sounds old school, but I always make lunches the night before. Then in the morning all that’s left to do is assemble the lunchbox.
And here’s my biggest secret: Sometimes (like on Sundays) I even make the next day lunches at NOON! If I’m already getting everything out to make lunch why not just make an extra sandwich? Then I don’t have to think about it.
*Oh, dirty laundry. In my house, I wash my kids’ laundry separate from my own. The key to not to doing laundry ALL the time is to do try and do it at a SPECIFIC time. Sure, we all have to do an emergency load sometimes, but for the most part I do kid laundry once a week. I happen to do laundry on Friday afternoon once the kids are home from school. I wash everything from the week, plus any blankets etc sent home from school. It’s in the dryer by the end of the day on Friday and then I have all weekend to fold. My kids know they will have a full closet to chose from on Mondays and know that worn clothes reappear the next week.
*It’s a date. Schools can be great about helping us plan ahead. The calendar is typically available a year at a time. That can include early release days, vacation days, holidays, as well as school events. I put ALL of these dates into my calendar before school starts. If you use ICal or another electronic calendar you could even designate a specific color for school events. This way I know from day one any events I need to plan around and can ensure childcare is covered.
*What to wear? Any grown adult can relate to the difficulty in choosing clothes in the morning, especially when you are still in a haze from waking up. With kids, choosing clothes can be an extra level of chaos in the morning, so we’ve gone back to having the kids pick out their clothes the night before. After dinner I check the weather for the next day and give the kids guidelines (i.e. you can wear shorts and a t-shirt or a dress, or it’s cool enough for pants) and then they are responsible for picking out what they want to wear and laying it out. It has eliminated morning battles over clothes, and a few times my daughter has even shown her face fully dressed while I was still getting breakfast ready.
The biggest thing to remember with back to school is that it’s a time of transition for everyone, so try to be as flexible as you can. Set up guidelines and routines but don’t be afraid to adjust and revisit as necessary. Most importantly, make sure what you choose works for you and your family.
What’s your favorite back to school time saving routine or tip? Share in the comments below!