Tips for getting your kids back into routine for the school year

It’s coming up to that time where our summer holiday plans have wrapped up (*cries*) and we start swapping out the toys for school bags and lunch boxes, as we gear up for the new school year.

It can be a big adjustment for kids and parents when it comes to getting into a new routine, particularly for the younger kids, but there are some things you can do to help them get settled in.

As a primary school teacher and a mum of three little ones, Alicia Hourigan knows what it’s like on both sides of the fence! We spoke with Alicia, who kindly gave up some time on a Sunday (legend, right?) to share a few simple tips to help ease our way into the new school year:

1. Start your routines early - Start staggering some earlier bed times and wake up times at least a week out from the first day of school. Get them to practice the little things they can do in the mornings to get ready like getting dressed and putting on shoes, then out ready for breakfast. Anything to help reduce the rush and shock to the system of those first few weeks!

2. Communication is key - Team up with your teachers and lean on each other. Every child goes at a different pace and the more information you give to your teacher about your child, the better they can prepare to know how to best support them. This is particularly important if you know your child might be anxious or nervous ahead of a new school year. Also, talk to your child and remind them that their teacher is the person to go to if they are having any troubles or worries. This really helps to build the relationship early and build confidence in your little one.

3. Prep as much as you can the night before - Get those school uniforms out the night before, get the school bag packed and prep lunchboxes. Do your best to buy yourself as much time in the mornings as you can by doing preparation the night before. This also helps to encourage your little one to have more independence in the morning - like getting dressed, putting on shoes, putting everything in their school bags themselves.

4. Go school shopping together - Have fun with picking out the things they need together. By doing this they get to pick the things that they like, they know how to use and build up the excitement that they get to take use their cool new lunchbox everyday at school!

5. Earlier dinners - the first few weeks of a new school terms are exhausting for little ones. There’s so much to take in from their new environment, their new friends and information overload that they’re likely going to crash early and get that much need sleep (well, before the meltdowns start!). So have your dinners ready to go earlier if you can in those first few weeks to help them get to bed earlier and rest up before the next big day.

If you’ve got your little one starting in kindy this year, their whole world is about to change and there will be kids who are excited and already independent, but there will also be ones who are nervous, anxious and will experience some separation anxiety in those first few weeks. Alicia says this time is all about building their confidence and their independence, so don’t rush them.

“Do your best to make the start to their school experience easy on them. Don’t stress if they can’t tie their shoes laces - buy them velcro shoes. Take them shopping to buy their school lunch box and make sure they can open it and that their school bag is big enough. This time is really about building their independence, confidence and curiosity and anything they haven’t got the hang of yet will come soon.”

But most importantly for all parents, don’t forget to go easy on yourselves. It’s been a really tough couple of of years with so much uncertainty and disruption. Give yourselves some credit for making it through. And while we hope this year is much better for us all, it might take us all a little bit longer to find our routines and the norm…so just remember that!