Back To School Week: Creating School Routine

I was lucky enough to meet Alana [on-line] of Domestically Challenged who has become my child rearing guru. I asked her to help me with my back-to-school week by discussing the importance of setting up routines for our children now that school has begun. As you all know I love everything organized, but getting my kids to get into the proper routine for school will be difficult. I asked for her to give us all advice on how to set up those routines. On top of all of that Alana has agreed to help my readers every month with fabulous tips. I am honored and pleased to post her words of wisdom. Without further ado.

Thanks to Candice for letting me hang out over here for the day. I promise I put everything back where it went. For more parenting solutions, head over to Domestically Challenged. Have a parenting question you want answered? Email me at questions@dctheblog.com. Thanks!

The Importance of School Routines

By now, you have either shipped your kids off to school or are getting ready to. Despite how they may feel about it, I’m sure you are thrilled. Gone are the lazy days of summer – now it’s time to get back to business.

One of the most important things to consider when your kids go back to school is their daily routine. Establishing routines make life easier. It helps kids know what is expected of them and when and it helps you as the family manager keep everyone on track.

So where do you start?

The first thing you have to do is think about your situation. Are you getting kids to school then going to work? Do you have a toddler to take into consideration? All of these outside factors influence your routines.

There are three basic routines you need to establish:

Morning
After School
Bedtime

Morning Routine

I don’t know about you, but I am NOT a morning person. This makes my morning routine even more critical. If I am rushed and cranky, my kids will duplicate this behavior times 100. To establish your morning routine, you need to look at your specific situation. Do you leave for work? Get a toddler ready too? Any of these factors will impact how you run your morning.

Here’s a few tips to help you establish a routine:

~Get up earlier. Yes, I did just say that I am not a morning person. However, I have found that if I get up and get ready before my kids, I can then worry about managing them (which usually involves refereeing a fight of some sort) instead of worrying about them and worrying about getting myself ready.

~What can you streamline? To make your morning less chaotic, do *anything* that can be done the night before. Get it out of the way and finished before you even go to bed. Lunches can be made, backpacks can be packed, outfits can be selected – all of this will save you time in the morning. This isn’t just for the kids – get as much done for yourself too.

~Don’t cut it close. If you want to make your morning more stressful, just try to do everything at the last minute. Instead, leave yourself a little wiggle room (anywhere from 5-15 minutes, depending on the disasters you might face) and then don’t rush.

After School

After school is a busy time – there’s homework to be done, dinner to be made, sports practices to go to. Having a routine here will make it easier to get through the afternoon grind with as little damage as possible.

To establish an after school routine:

~Determine when homework will be done. For most kids, right after school is the best option. Reading can be done before bed, but the best plan is to get the homework done first, then get to the play time.

~Plan dinner ahead of time. This will prevent the “What’s for dinner” game, which in my house seems to lead to take out.

~Are the kids doing too much? If you and your child are running around every night after school, you need to take a serious look at their schedule. Remember, kids are supposed to be kids. If you need a planner just for their activities, you may be a little too busy. Minimize the activities and spend the time as a family.

Bedtime

Bed time routines are pretty common for babies, but it seems that we have a tendency to move away from them when kids get older. Older kids need this too!

Here’s a few key points to remember:

~Have an appropriate bedtime. many kids do not get enough sleep. Make sure you are sending kids to bed at a reasonable time.

~Have them read. Reading at night is a great way for kids of all ages to unwind. Sit in their rooms with them or make a special place for the kids to read (my kids LOVE reading in my bed). Establish the ground rules (no talking) and let them calm their brains down a bit before bed.

~Prep for the next day. Make sure backpacks are packed, clothes are picked out and lunches are made. I may have already said this, but it will make your mornings go a lot smoother.

Even though it may take some work to get everyone trained, being that you are a mom you should be used to this. Taking the time to establish a routine will make everyone’s life easier. Take some time every few weeks to assess the routine and determine if any tweaking is necessary. The biggest question is does it work for you and your family? This is all that matters when it’s all said and done.

Thanks again to Candice for letting me park over here for the day. For more solutions for the domestically challenged, head on over to www.DCTheBlog.com. If you have a parenting question you want answered, please email me at questions@dctheblog.com. We now return you to your regularly organized blog host.

Back To School Week: Creating School Routine

About Fashionista

Candice Kahn has written 535 post in this blog.

Candice is a mom of 3 in Los Angeles, CA, and the Owner/Editor-in-Chief of Fashionably Organized, and co-creator/owner of BirthingHip. Her obsession with researching products to get the right price, has made her the go-to shopping guru for her friends. Here she writes about fashion, beauty and shares her love for home decor and DIY. Currently she is beauty editor for Savvy Sassy Moms, is part of the Lowe's Creative Ideas Creators and Influencers Network, and a member of momsLA.