Whether it’s your child’s first school year, or it’s back to the school routine for your family, here are some of my top tips for a smooth transition back to school.

1. Bed time routine: start to get your kids to bed earlier one week before school starts. Focus on the consistent bed time routine to help your children wind down. It is important not to rush this part of your day as children will notice and not feel satisfied. Take time with your children brushing teeth, getting into pyjama’s and reading before bed.
2. Visual routine: create a visual of your child’s week/activities. Kids sports days, library, banking, news time etc.. this can all be overwhelming and hard to remember, especially if you have multiple kids with multiple routines. This visual will also help your child prepare for what is on that day. I print this and place it in the children’s bedrooms so they know to pack their library bags, or to wear their sports uniform. Of course they will need gentle reminders and guidance.
3. Lunch time prep: prepare as much of the children’s lunches the night before and place onto the kitchen bench. Cut up their fruit and place it into a container in the fridge. Put a packet of crackers into the lunch box, and fill up their water bottles.
4. Uniform: Lay out uniform for younger kids, or have uniforms in an easy to access place for older kids. This will save energy in the morning, so you don’t have to look for missing socks or an ironed shirt.
5. Get yourself up and ready first: In the mornings, if I’m not ready first, this makes me stressed! I set my alarm clock half an hour earlier than the children’s expected wake up time. Once I’m dressed, hair and makeup is done, I feel ready and more patient with the kids.
6. Keep calm and embrace the chaos: let’s face it – mornings are busy! Even if you are organised, it may still feel like you are running around and forgetting things. Try to keep calm and refrain from yelling at the kids. Remember, their urgency to ‘hurry’ in the mornings is pretty non-existent. So keeping patient and breathing through the process will help.

Have a wonderful 2019!

 Funda Yolal