Why kids should ALREADY be in a routine AHEAD of going back to school

Many parents are already dreading the thought of getting their children back into a routine for school.

But there are some ways to make it easier for everyone before the first day of school arrives.

Whether your child has already gone back or is about to head back, an expert has shared her ways to make the transition smooth.

Kids should ALREADY be back in their school routine says expert

According to Diane McGregor, who is he manager of Parenting Now, a website run by KW Counselling Services, acting like you’re already back in a routine helps.

Doing things like getting up early, showering in the morning, limiting screen time and making sure your kids can open and pack up their own lunch boxes will really help their transition.

Also, talk to them about school. What they like to do and how they are feeling about going back. This way there will be no surprises on the first morning.

“We need to give our kids time to transition,” McGregor tells CBC.

“Rather than just getting up one morning and announcing, ‘OK guys it’s two weeks until school. We’re going to start going to bed half an hour early.’ No proclamations. 

“Let’s start the engagement process. Get their investment in it, ‘What’s going to work? What do you think we need to do?'”

McGregor revealed the biggest stress parents have ahead of school is about preparing lunches, especially for fussy eaters.

“The anxiety around preparing for lunches and kids eating lunches is really big,” she reveals.

“There’s a lot of rules going into schools about what lunches can and can’t be and that creates a lot of anxiety for kids, but it also creates anxiety for parents.”

But McGregor says parents should be kind to themselves, a routine takes time to adjust to.

“One of the biggest pieces that we’re always encouraging our parents to be mindful of is to be easier on themselves,” she added.

“There’s still time. And if your kids aren’t ready, you still are going to send them off to school but maybe they’ll be sleepy.

“Maybe they won’t be quite ready but it’s OK. It’s a transition. It doesn’t all happen on the day school goes back.”