Getting back into the school groove post-vacation

My son's in first grade, and he approached his first day back at school after the holiday break with a mixture of dread and relief. He loved the lazy days and late mornings as much as we all did, but I also sensed he was glad to get back to his school buddies and the normal routine.

Even so, the get-back-to-school regimen is tough. Sara passed along these tips from her in-laws to help ease the transition:

Part of Christmas was spent with my extended family-in-law, one of whom is a teacher with 3(!) boys(!!). The visit reminded me of 2 of her hacks:

1) Load up the car the night before. In my cousin's house, after homework is finished, the backpacks get repacked and loaded into the car. That way, in the morning, there is no scrambling to get everything together. [We are lucky enough to walk to school -- our version is basically the same, except we repack the backpack complete with permission slips and show-and-tell and hang it by the front door. -- Ed.]

2) The bathroom off of the kitchen has a great big wall clock at kid height -- I've never asked why it's there, exactly, but it seems like a great idea for both keeping everyone on schedule in the morning and for encouraging time telling.

Tags: Getting organized, Parenting

Comments

[STL Mom]

I try to get everyone back on school schedule a few days before school starts. This is almost more important for me than the kids. When we have school, I get up long before the kids so I can be showered, dressed, and ready to go when I start waking the kids up. During vacation, I get up WITH them and we all sit around in our pajamas together. It takes me a few days to get back into the groove.
Anyone have tips on turning cranky wakers into morning people?

[Sara in Austin]

Anyone have tips on turning cranky wakers into morning people?

Get everyone up 15 minutes earlier and have some no pressure hanging out time before switching into high gear?

I tend to be a "get up and get dressed and get out of the house" sort of person, but sometimes Miss J. needs a cuddle and some stuffed animal time before she's in a good enough mood to do all of our morning tasks.