The first day of school is quickly approaching for us. No amount of denial is changing that. With that said, I figured I better get my butt in gear getting the house and everyone in it ready. I turned to Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration on ways to improve our routine. I don’t know about you, but Instagram is absolutely full to bursting with back to school inspiration on every level – basic school supplies, festive fun, picture props and letterboards, morning hustle hacks, etc…and I. Am. Obsessed! This year will be our fourth year of school, so I thought it would be fun to share a post a day for a week detailing out what’s worked for us and what we’re adding to make the back to school transition as smooth as possible! First up….
// Before School + After School Checklist //
We recently shared our summer checklist and how it’s working for us. I knew immediately it was something I wanted to add in to our daily school year routine as well. A checklist is easy to make, but has a huge impact! It gives my girls enough independence to get ready for the day and do what they need to do when they get home from school without me nagging them. Eloise (4) still needs a LOT of help because of her age, but we’re working on it! Having the list, gives everybody a goal. I usually end up working through the list with Ellie, whereas Sophie (7), does it on her own. I make the lists myself and laminate them so the girls can use a dry erase marker to cross things off as they go. If you don’t want to make your own, check Pinterest and Etsy. They even have some with pictures for kids who can’t read independently yet!
Once they complete their list in the morning, they can watch tv. To be honest, it’s their only goal in the morning. They’ve figured out by now that they’ll be in school all day, so they want to veg for as long as possible before then. Ideally, I’d prefer they read or colored before school, but a little tv never hurt nobody.
This is just what works for our family. I suggest sitting down and thinking of what your kids need to do before school. Not just the basics as in getting dressed and eating breakfast, but also what healthy habits you expect from them. For instance making their beds or putting their laundry away. Remember to keep their ages in mind so it’s achievable, though! The point is to help the morning and after school run more smoothly, not overwhelm everyone with a bunch of chores! After school they also need time to decompress, so keep it simple but effective!
For us, a checklist helps everything run more smoothly and even when they’re young, gets them in to a routine early on. We’re only human, and sometimes everyone wakes up in a funk and the list goes out the window. Sometimes there are days my kids skip a step or three. Or, after I get back from drop off I’ll find laundry shoved under a bed. Remember their age + give them grace.
Another tip is to get started back with wake up and bed time schedule as soon as possible. Summer slide is real. I don’t know about your family but my girls are NOT morning people. If you’re in the same boat, try waking them up a little earlier than necessary to give them time to wake up before the morning hustle starts otherwise it’s a recipe for tears and meltdowns. so. many. meltdowns. If you have an early riser you’re trying to get to stay in bed so other’s can sleep in as much as possible, try an “OK to wake clock”, It glows when its an “okay time to be awake”. We used this for Sophie when Eloise was a baby and it worked like a charm!
As always, thanks for reading, and check back tomorrow for more back to school tips!
xx, Whitney || This Modern Farmhouse