Of all the changes that come with the beginning of a new school year, perhaps one of the hardest is to adjust to the new schedule. Your child may have to get up early. They may have to adjust to eating regular meals rather than snacking all day. How can we adjust to the coming schedule rather than having a sudden shock when school starts again?
- Adjust bedtime gradually. Starting a couple weeks in advance, adjust bedtime by a half hour. Once you and your child adjust to the new time, move it another half hour and so on until you get to the right school schedule.
- Make a bedtime routine. To help your child go to bed earlier, start an hour in advance getting them to calm down. Have them read rather than watching screens. Maybe have them take a bath or a shower. Turn the lights in the house down and keep things quiet. This will help them get into the right state of mind to fall asleep.
- Make a morning routine. Try to make your mornings look as much as you can like they would on a school day. Would you need your kid to eat breakfast early? Serve them breakfast early. Have them get dressed. Having that routine will make it easier for their bodies to get into the rhythm of getting up.
- Align their eating schedule to the school schedule. To encourage your child to eat like they would at school, minimize the snacks so their bodies can get used to eating at normal meal times.
- Don’t let the schedule get too out of wack to begin with. It’s easier to get used to the school schedule if you don’t get too far off of it in the first place. Stick to a reasonable schedule even when school is not in session. Don’t let your children stay up more than an hour past their normal time. Try to keep your child on a schedule.
Adjusting to the school schedule can be a difficult part of all of the changes every fall. With some planning and some work, the adjustment can be easier for you and your child.
