What to do 2 weeks before school starts

Are you looking forward to your kids returning to school? It’s that time of year when we all start thinking about kids going back to school, and I do a lot of coaching on how to help kids prepare for the transition.

Here are a couple of things I recommend you do in the two weeks leading up to the first day of school:

Start using your child’s school bed and wake-up times. 
Children often go to bed and get up later in the summertime.  I recommend giving them a couple of weeks to adjust to the earlier sleep and wake times for school.  Depending on how much later they’re staying up right now, you may need some time to get them used to going to bed and getting up earlier.

Plan out the morning and after-school routines and review them with your little kids.
For littles that are starting preschool and kindergarten, let them know what to expect in the morning and what jobs they will have (get dressed, eat breakfast, brush their teeth, etc) and start practicing.  Consider making a chart for them so they have a visual reminder of the morning routine.

For grade school children, I recommend having a family meeting and discussion about the family routines once school starts.  When kids have input into the schedule, you are more likely to get their buy-in.
Ask each child what a good morning would look like for them.
Consider a family goal of calm and easy mornings. 
Map out what “jobs” need to be done in the morning and ask for input and help on how best to accomplish them. 
Get the kids involved in setting up a visual checklist.

At this age, kids tend to respond well to owning certain responsibilities.  I had one family that had one child as the CEO of snack prep and one as the CEO of water bottles.  In another family, the kids made themselves their own checklist that they would fill out and then grade themselves.

When we give our kids responsibilities and don’t micromanage them, we give them opportunities for autonomy and control, which helps to increase their self-regulation as well as their sense of pride and self-esteem. When kids start their mornings with a job that they successfully complete, they feel good about themselves, and it’s a great way to start the day.

I highly encourage getting kids engaged in daily routines. I also recommend that you come from a place where you ask for help, as they tend to be more receptive.

Finally, for first-time preschoolers, kindergartners, or young kids who are switching schools and going to a new building, show them the drive to school and look at the playground area. If the school didn’t set up a time for them to visit ahead of time, take them for a drive and show them around the grounds so they know where they will be going. Assure them that they will be safe and cared for.

If you are worried about your child starting school or you’re going through behavioral challenges and don’t know what to do, I can help!  This month in the Confident Parenting Club we are doing a deep dive into how to support and prepare kids (and yourself) for upcoming changes and going back to school!  Join the club to get all of your most pressing parenting questions answered and support to help your child have a successful start to school.  Click here to check out the Club, and use coupon code SCHOOL to get 25% off when you join.