Southern Mom Loves: How to Get Your Family Back into the Swing of School

How to Get Your Family Back into the Swing of School

Monday, July 25, 2016

It can be hard for families to get back on track after enjoying several weeks of summer vacation. It's easy to fall into enjoying lax bedtimes, no morning alarms, and less structure to your days. The good news is there are things you can do to get your (and your kid's) heads back into the swing of school. Starting about 3 weeks out (depending on what you have left to prep) will make it much easier for you all to start the school year on the right foot.


How to Get Back into the Swing of School from Summer Vacation


3 Weeks Out...Make a shopping list and start shopping

Three weeks from the start of school, you should have a list of the supplies your kids need. Many stores will have the school supplies out and starting early allows you to get the best deals, and you will also have the biggest selection. 

Don't forget that now is the time to look at replacing worn or too small uniforms, socks and undies, and backpacks. If you're on a tight budget, shopping early also allows you to spend a bit of money each week so that it doesn't seem overwhelming. Be sure to shop at a variety of stores to find the best deals. 


2 Weeks Out...Start a sleep routine, finish shopping, and start a project.

If your kids don't have a set bedtime during the summer, you want to start waking them up 15 minutes earlier each day until you reach the wake up time for a normal school day. You also want to send your kids to bed 15 minutes earlier each night. This makes it easier to get your kids back on a regular schedule.

This is also the best time to finish up any shopping you have left over. The closer it gets to the first day of school, the less selection you'll have. Not to mention that the stores will get more and more crowded with last minute shoppers.

You also want to start working on projects that require your kids to sit down and focus for part of the day. This will help them get into the swing of being in class again. You could work on crafts, have reading time, or have the kids work in activity books.


1 Week Out...Organize school supplies and create a backpack station.

One week before school starts you want to get their school supplies organized. If you haven't done so already, you need to separate the supplies for each child and put the extra supplies you bought for the rest of the year into a storage container.

You also want to create a backpack station. A backpack station has an area for kids to hang their backpacks and coats and to take off their shoes. This is also a good place to put a dry erase calendar to keep up with special events and activities. You could also add a slotted mail hanger for kids to put notes from their teachers and forms that need to be signed.


3 Days Out...Create outfits and a lunchbox station.

Three days out, you should have your kids pretty much ready for school to begin. There are only two more things to take care of! 

For smaller kids, you want to take the time to create a week's worth of outfits. The kids can help you pick out the outfits, but having the outfits ready makes it much easier for kids to get ready in the mornings.

The last thing you want to do is create a lunchbox station. A lunchbox station is designed to allow kids to build their own lunches. You can make bags of fruits and vegetables, a bin of healthy carbs, a bin for dairy, and a bin for protein. You can also have a bin for snacks. Let kids pick the foods they want, but have rules that they have to pick something from each group.

You can also create an after-school Snack Station. Check mine out in this post:
GET READY FOR BACK TO SCHOOL WITH A DIY SNACK STATION!


Going back to school doesn't have to be a nightmare. There are so many things you can do to transition from summer vacation to school, and I hope this timeline will help to make it a little easier!


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Do you have a timeline for getting back into the swing of school? What are your favorite tips? I love to read your comments!

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