Back to School – Build a Healthy Daily Routine

Our kids will be going back to school soon, I know you are probably thinking about the early morning work of dressing them up and getting them ready for school. You really do not have to get yourself worked up each time a new school year is starting, all you need is to create a routine that will help you get by each morning. Once you have a routine in place, the chance your family will be able to start the new school year on a bright and less harried note will be increased.

If you’re thinking about how to get a good routine going, let these following ideas help you create your own.    

 

1.   Don’t delay setting up the routine.

The longer you delay, the more your children are getting used to the habit of sleeping at a particular time, and the harder your children will find it getting up for school in the morning. The trick is this, starting prepping them early for bed before school resumes, get them to pick their uniform and pack their bags before going to bed and you will be sure that the day will start much better.

 

2.   Visit their New School

Think about how you felt when you changed your school, you were probably nervous and scared. There are chances that your child is too. So how do you help them? One way to help is to visit their new school before they resume. Schools allow tours so you shouldn’t have any problem getting into the premises. Find out where your child’s homeroom class will be.

Don’t forget to find the other important rooms of a school building. Locate the bathrooms, especially the ones along their daily path, so they’ll know where they can go when they have a minute between classes. You’ll also want to find the lunchroom and the library. If your child is involved in sports, find the locker rooms or the band room if they play a musical instrument.  

 

3.   Decide what time your children need to get to sleep

Depending on their ages and how many children you have they may have different bedtimes. If this is the case, have the younger children pick their uniforms for the next day before they engage in their bedtime rituals like bathing and brushing. Get them in the habit routine of following a particular pattern each night. Having a set routine such as this will give them a strong sense of continuity.  

Older children may be allowed to stay up later than very young children. But you shouldn’t allow them to stay up too late either. Have them follow the same type of pattern – pick their uniform, pack their bags and go to bed – so they’ll be ready to get a good night’s sleep. One other benefit of getting the children to bed early is that they will be more rested to face the day ahead of them.

 

4.   A good day starts with a good night’s sleep

If during the holiday you relaxed their regular sleeping time, this is the time to make some changes. The child might complain and try to stay up later, but you know the earlier they get to bed the better prepared they’ll be for school. Getting enough sleep will help them have the energy they need to stay awake during school. It will also help them focus on the tasks before them.   

How do you accomplish readjusting them going to bed early enough to be able to get up on time? A couple of weeks before the first day of school, have your children begin going to bed earlier each night until they are used to their earlier bedtime. The earlier you start this process, the simpler it will be for them to get used to going to bed earlier again.

 

4.   Decide when you have to get up

It will be much easier to decide what time your children need to go to bed if you know what time they have to get up in the morning. Kids are said to need between 9 and 10 hours of sleep each night to be at their peak. If you know your child must be up at 6 a.m. in order to be ready for school by 7:30 a.m., you would want your children to begin getting ready for bed around 7:30 p.m. This would mean dinner would have to be earlier as well.

Perhaps you want your children to get the right amount of sleep and be ready for school, you might consider making some adjustments to their whole day. When you know what time they need to wake up for school in the morning and when they should sleep, determining a schedule for the remainder of their day should be easier.