School has been in session for about a month for most families at this point. Children are getting back into their routines, but there may be some adjustment still happening. As school continues, children may develop more routines, but some may need some help to create these. These routines will help with the adjustment to school and help to make this a smoother transition.
With school back in session, this creates a few changes to your routines and daily structure. Children are in school for a majority of the day and may or may not have activities after school. Some children are also at school for both before and after care depending on their age and your work schedule. While it may be unavoidable, this can make for a long day for your child. If your child is in care before and after school, make sure they are getting enough rest as this means that they are away from home for a longer period of time. If children are in activities, this can also lead to a longer day depending on the length of the activity and its intensity. Again, making sure your child is getting enough rest is going to be important.
Establishing routines for the morning are also beneficial. Morning times can be chaotic and rushed, but the more of a routine that is present, the easier this can be. Determine what needs to be done and what can be done the night before. Depending on how your morning goes, it is important to make sure that you create a routine that will be successful. If children know what happens next, then it is easier for them to continue with the routine and continue to get ready for school.
Many children have homework every day or close to every day. This is something that needs to be part of a routine so that it is completed. For some children, completing homework can be difficult after being in school all day. If this is the case, then it is beneficial to allow them a break before sitting down for homework. For other children, getting it done as soon as they get home works better. Making sure that it is completed is important, but picking the ideal time is also important. Talk to your child and observe how homework time goes to determine what will work best for your child and family routines.
Establishing a routine for the afternoon and evening is also important. This will help to make sure that all items are completed, including homework and dinner. It can also help to make sure that children are getting to bed on time and getting enough rest. If children are not getting enough sleep, then the morning and next day can be more difficult. Having a routine with this time will be beneficial and help to make sure that your child gets all they need.
Many children are in after school activities and these can complicate the routine depending on when and how often they occur. When children have activities, it is important to make sure to have a routine for these days. It may be different for different days, but it is important to make sure that your child is aware for these different routines. When children are activities, it is also important to make sure that they still have time to get homework completed and get enough rest.
As routines are being established, this can help with adjusting to the new school year. It is important to pay attention to the child’s emotions and how they are feeling about the new year. Even if they are at the same school they have previously been at, there are new expectations for the classroom and new students in their class. They most likely are not with the same classmates so these are all new things that can be stressful for some children. Helping them with these new experiences and new expectations will help them to be able to adjust to the new year. If your child is trying to adjust to these new experiences, helping them through will also help with the new routines and expectations. If you have questions about these new experiences and routines, feel free to reach out to me for more ideas.
