The new school year is upon us and at my house, we’re ready to get back in our normal routine! Whether you send your kids off to school or homeschool your children, here are four tips for getting back in the swing of things and on a school routine once again.
1. Ease Back into your School Routine
Don’t wait until the night before school starts to get your kids back on their normal sleeping schedule. Ease back into it gradually. Two weeks before school starts, gradually start your kids back on their “school sleep schedule”. Also, plan meals and snacks to accustom little ones to rituals of the school day before the school year begins.
2. Create a Calendar Central
It’s going to happen whether you want it to or not. You will soon be drowning in papers: sports practice schedules, music lesson times, school supply papers, homework, permission slips, and the list goes on and on. Don’t feel overwhelmed! Create a “Calendar Central” area for all members of the family to view the calendar.
There are so many fun, creative ways to make a family calendar. You can make an entire wall calendar out of chalkboard paint and update it as events come up. You can also use a white-board or a large calendar with large squares so events can be added easily. Have a family meeting at the beginning of each week discussing all you have going on. Add other items to your Calendar Central: school lunch menus, sports practice schedules, contact information, etc.
3. Plan Before You Go Back-to-School-Shopping
Go through what you have left over from last year or what you might be able to still wear before heading out to the stores. Save money by shopping during tax-free weekend (most states have one of these each year towards the beginning of the school year. Tennessee’s is August 2-4).
If this is the first time you’ll be sending your children off to school, then a great resource for you to check out is The Christian Mama’s Guide to the Grade School Years by Erin MacPherson. In it, moms will learn how to cover their children in prayer so that their launch into the world, and away from her control, is done with grace and wisdom—helping them grow into the men and women God intended them to be.
4. Most Importantly, Help Them Prepare for God’s Vision for their School Year
I love what Erin MacPherson has to say about this in her book:
As we send our kids out into the big, wide world, many of us send them off unprepared. Not unprepared materially or socially or even academically, but unprepared to understand the vision God has for their lives. And that unpreparedness hinders their ability to grow into the people God intends for them to be. So I’m ready to be your coach—to bust out the poster board and the Sharpies and help you to find the vision for your kid’s first school year so he can walk into the world confidently and prepared to learn and grow.
Erin’s book has so many great ideas to put into practice before you get into your school routine, like creating a family vision statement and praying for future teachers and classmates.
Whatever your school routine looks like, you can begin by trusting God in everything—He has a perfect plan for both you and your kid!
Your Turn
It’s definitely an exciting time of year. What other tips do you have for not only preparing your kids to go back to school, but helping them get back into a school routine? Leave a comment below and share your ideas with us!