7 Tips for a Smooth Transition into the School Year
By Victoria Cook , The Guilt-Free Coach

As we head into August, the reality of summer ending and the new school year starting is upon us. While I was ready for the summer break in June, now that my children have been home for the summer and we’ve had some great fun, I’m ready for them to head back! Here are 7 tips to help busy working parents make a smooth transition back into the school year:

1. Set clear, age appropriate ground rules and expectations - It's important for kids to have a clear understanding of what's expected regarding the morning routine, homework, and scheduling. Perhaps your child is getting old enough for an alarm clock and can take on the responsibility of getting up on their own and beginning their morning routine. Make it clear when and where is best for them to complete their homework. Talk about how many extracurricular activities and clubs can be managed per season or semester. Have these discussions, and negotiations like we sometimes have at my house, BEFORE school begins to head off disagreements and disappointments.

2. Planning & Organization are a must – Taking time out to plan and organize can actually save time in the long run. Let Simply Homemade take all the work and worry out of meal planning and preparation. That will free you up for helping out with homework and spending quality time with family. Organizing everything else can be as simple as a paper wall calendar (I personally use the Moms Plan-It Family Calendar so everyone can see at a glance what’s happening each day) or an electronic version like Outlook or a Palm Pilot. The key is to have all the schedules in one place.

Go to your child’s school website and print off a copy of the 2008-2009 school schedule and add the school holidays, early release, and vacation days to the calendar too. Add sports schedules and club activities as they become known. Also post important phone numbers for school absentee, coaches, teachers, and leaders of any extracurricular activities for easy access.

3. Reset their bilogical clock - During the summer months it’s not unusual for parents to permit their children to stay up and sleep in later than usual. This can end up altering their internal biological clock and make the shock of switching back to the school sleeping routine of “early to bed, early to rise” more challenging. Create a smoother transition by getting the kids back into a good sleeping routine a couple weeks prior to the start of the school year. This will give their biological clocks time to adjust and prepare them for the school schedule.

4. Go through the closet - Set aside some time to go through your children’s closet and dresser together to assess what still fits and make a give-away bag of the items that don’t. Along the way, make a list of what items will be needed for the upcoming school year. This way you’ll be armed and ready when the summer back-to-school sales start.

5. Minimize morning headaches - Just about every working parent with whom I’ve worked has said mornings are the toughest, most hectic time of his or her day. The challenge of getting yourself and kids ready and out the door can be easier with a little pre-planning and delegation. Talk with your children now about the morning routine and what tasks they will need to do. The night before, engage your children in preparing for the next day. Things like having them put their backpack and shoes near the front door, selecting what they will wear, making their own lunch, or deciding in advance what they’d like for breakfast the next morning can help make things less hectic and give them a sense of responsibility and independence.

If you’re also the parent of a toddler, take some time to pre-pack what you can in the diaper bag, ensure bottles or sippy cups are clean, and select clothes for your baby to wear the next day.

6. Setup a study space for success - Determine where your child’s study space will be and set it up for success. We have a large basket filled with extra loose leaf paper, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, a dictionary, calculator, a ruler, and extra erasers. If you have a tween or teen, it may be a good idea to also stock up on poster board for those inevitable school projects due the next day!

7. Make time for YOU and your spouse - Make time in the busy family schedule for YOU and time just for you and your spouse. It’s important to replenish your own energy in order to have enough for taking care of everyone else. Schedule in a date night or two each month to reconnect with your sweetie and nurture your marriage. Research has shown that when parents have a healthy marriage their children feel more secure.

Even with your very best effort there will be times when the schedule doesn’t go as planned, the alarm doesn’t go off, or something gets forgotten. Remember, you’re NOT perfect, and let go of any feelings of guilt. Apologize, give a hug, and move on. Take what you’ve learned and incorporate that lesson into your plans for the next time.

About the Author
Victoria Cook, The Guilt-Free Coach, helps ambitious working Moms create more time and focus to accomplish their goals, grow their business, and live guilt-free! Get free resources for increasing YOUR time and reducing stress at http://www.theguiltfreecoach.com/gift.

7 Tips for a Smooth Transition into the School Year © 2005 - 2008
Victoria Cook. All rights reserved.

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