From getting back into a school year schedule to buying school supplies and more, there’s plenty to do to return to fall routines. So, we put together a little back-to-school guide to help. And the best news is that there are only three things to focus on in our guide!
Although specifics may vary by a child’s age, children and youth of all ages should get enough sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and schedule enough time to get homework done.
Now let’s dive into each of these and get a better idea of what you can do to make the start of this (and every other) school year go off without a hitch.
Back To School Guide: Sleep Schedules
Ease into the fall sleep schedule incrementally, the Sleep Foundation recommends. In the weeks leading up to school, children should go to bed fifteen minutes earlier each night and wake up fifteen minutes earlier the next morning until they’re on a good school schedule.
If your child struggles with the adjustment, have the youngster participate in a quiet activity and then try again. With older children and teens, talk to them about the benefits of a good sleep schedule.
Back To School Guide: Healthy Breakfasts
In an earlier blog post, we recommended four cheap and easy breakfast ideas for those busy school mornings. SuperHealthyKids.com also has great ideas, including veggie egg muffins, breakfast burritos, flavorful smoothies, and much more.
Eating on a Dime lists 35 recommendations: baked pancakes (or rollup blender pancakes) and kid-friendly breakfast casseroles, including a yummy blueberry French toast casserole that you can make ahead, and more.
If your child packs a lunch, then LifeMadeSweeter.com offers more than 50 ideas along with general tips. Including a variety of items, the guide suggests, will keep your child from getting bored. So, mix and match different proteins, carbs, fruits, and snacks. If you include dried snacks, you can portion them out on Sunday and just drop them into the lunch bag or box each day.
Back To School Guide: Study Skills
Children also need good study habits to be successful in school—and, after a summer away from this activity, systems will need to be reimplemented. Depending on the age of your children, they may be able to create good study systems by themselves or they might need your help. What’s important is to create a distraction-free space where they can store their books, notebooks, and more and do their homework.
Researchers at StudyPoint.com suggest the use of an academic planner to keep all important information in one place and to prioritize tasks.
For younger children or as a family planner, FamilyHandyman.com suggests using a colorful magnetic calendar where you can easily keep track of deadlines, sports practices, concert dates, and more.
Then, although the Princeton Review created a back-to-school study guide for college students, their tips on appropriate pacing can help students of just about any age—and proper pacing can include being realistic about the amount of time needed for each task.
If your child is assigned a book to read for school, how many days will that take? If there’s a big research paper due, how can the project be broken down into doable bits so there’s no rushing and stressing out at the end? If a quiz is coming up on Friday, how can studying be paced throughout the week?
Horizon Education Centers
Focusing on good sleep habits, healthy breakfasts and lunches, and great study skills, will help your child (of any age!) succeed in school.
At Horizon Education Centers, we make sure your child is developing all three. Our meal programs are built on the Child Care Food Program model.
Our infant, toddler, and preschool programs include naps at various times of the day to help your child rest and stay in their routine. And all of our preschool and school-aged programs are designed to prepare your child for kindergarten and beyond.
