Love it or hate it, a school routine keeps the wheels turning. Put these 6 ideas in place and rock the new school year!
Summer break always brings mixed emotions.
You probably don’t miss alarm clocks and keeping up with school supplies.
Then again, getting back into a routine of the school year does make life flow more smoothly.
Over the years, I’ve found some awesome resources that keep our family on track when the school year begins. Here are 6 things you can do to rock the new school year!
6 Simple Ways To Get Back to the School Routine
Back to school will probably be even crazier than ever this year. Most kids have had a 5 month break from school. In some ways that might make it harder to get back to it.
But these tips should still serve you pretty well.
1. One Last Fling
While you’re figuring out schedules and supplies, don’t forget about having some fun, too! Was there one thing you’ve been meaning to do all summer, but just never got around to it?
What would your kids love to do one last time?
Try to fit in that trip to the pool, a backyard camp out, or one more night of catching lightning bugs.
2. Supplies
Look back over your school shopping lists to be sure you didn’t miss anything important.
And if you know the kids will need a refill of certain items (I’m looking at you, no. 2 pencils) halfway through the year, buy extras while they are on sale.
Be sure to check out these tips for shopping for school supplies on a budget.
3. Packing Lunches
Ugh, I don’t miss packing lunches over the summer! But it’s a great way to save money over the cost of a school lunch, so we pack nearly every day.
Luckily, you can make packing lunches easy with a few tricks.
Even a kindergartner can pack part of their lunch, so be sure to ask the kids to pull their own weight!
We always put lunches together the night before. Refrigerated items can go in a basket marked with each child’s name for simple mornings.
Get more tips on simplifying lunches (plus a free printable!) here.
4. Know Your Schedule
I’m lost without my calendar. With so many kids in different activities, it’s too hard to keep track of everything.
At the beginning of the school year, try to find a school calendar.
Enter as many items on your own calendar as possible. That way you’ll start to have some idea of what next May will be like.
Of course, sometimes things change. So you’ll want to double check items on your calendar throughout the year.
If you like easy, make sure you check out the Cozi app. This free pap has a calendar, plus other great tools (like shopping lists) that make Mom life so much easier. Did I mention it’s free? (That’s #yearofno approved!)
Plus, the Cozi app is color coded, so you can see at a glance that your oldest needs to be here while your youngest should be there.
5. Have a Routine
When I first decided to put a routine in place for our family, I was just a little strict.
As in…we were to eat at noon, followed by naps at 1:00 on the dot.
So if we were out running errands, I’d drop everything to be home by noon exactly.
I was lost when we deviated from that routine.
Now I realize how silly that was.
When you have a young family, you need a fluid routine. A general plan or checklist of things that have to be done each day is good, but it has to move with life.
For instance…decide that each morning, you’ll empty the dishwasher, run a load of laundry, make the bed, and choose supper.
Even if you don’t do anything else on a busy day, your family will be able to run smoothly.
The kids have expectations for the morning, too.
- dress (This means putting on shoes! No one wants to look for lost shoes on the way out the door.)
- eat breakfast
- brush teeth
- put together lunch (packed the night before)
- gather everything needed for school
That must be done before any reading or play happens.
Get more help here:
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6. Bedtime
People suggest that you get kids adjusted to an earlier bedtime a bit at a time. Move their summer bedtime forward 15 minutes each night, they say, until you’ve reached your goal.
I’m sure that’s great information… but I don’t find that it works for our family.
In fact, it’s easier to make sure they get up a bit earlier each day leading up to the big morning.
But we mainly use the “It’s the first day of school! Get out of bed!” shock method. My kids adjust fine within a few days. 😉
It is important to have a bedtime routine. Give your body a signal that you’re getting ready to lie down for the night.
Try having kids wash their face (or showering) and read for a bit (if that’s calming).
Another trick? Let the kids stay up an extra half hour to read. It’s a great way to encourage your kids to love reading!
These steps to a back to school routine will have your family ready to go by the time the bus rolls up your street.
If you like saving both time and money, check out these Mom approved durable backpacks. Buy once and stop worrying about getting a new one every year!
What’s your best back to school tip? Be sure to share below!
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
Yes, for our family I have a dry erase calendar on the fridge. I use it all year round, not just school year. I first bought it when my husband started nursing school 4 years ago so I could keep track of everyone’s schedule.
That’s a great idea! I have one on our fridge that I use to remind us of medication. Our kids are on daily meds for asthma.
These are all great tips! I’m not looking forward to packing lunches either but we also do it ahead of time so that the mornings aren’t too crazy! I definitely love the idea of one last fling before the busy back to school season starts!
One of the happy things about being year rounders is that we don’t get too far out of our routine. But we’re still struggling with our evening routine as the homework load gets heavier. So thanks for the head’s up on the course.
Morning and bedtime routines are so important to keeps kids on track. Thank you for sharing your article and wonderful tips!
I need to print this out! Great list. Boy, I do not miss making lunch. Or stressing about bed time. But I do miss having a few hours of peace and quiet on the days I work from home. Bring on September!
How fun that you’re mentioning the Cozi app, too! Such a handy tool to have around!
I recently posted some similiar things on my blog. For us it really works to move the bedtime up a little each night. It is too hard to go from a 11pm bedtime to a 9pm bedtime!
These are all great tips…. I really like the bedtime change idea. I’m sure it comes handy for the little ones….
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Great tips! Our kids don’t go back to school for another month, but I’m already prepping for our new fall routine, and trying (really hard!) to get up before my kids in the morning. A challenge with my toddler who is usually up before 6am, but I get so much done during the morning when it is still quiet! 🙂
This has been a goal of mine for years, but I’m so NOT a morning person! Of course, I only recently got to a place where all of my kids sleep through the night. So I guess it’s time for me to try it!
This is our first year of kindergarten for the little, so its going to be a process getting both her and the teenager out the door in the morning. I’m open to any and all tips at this point #fridayfrivolity
We get back into our routine of bedtime and getting up early a few days before the first day of school. That way it’s not such a shock to his sleep! This will be his second year of school, so hopefully it’s not too difficult to get him back on track.
I always intend on moving bedtime back gradually and it just doesn’t happen. Moving mornings earlier might be a little more realistic for us.
It’s hard to ask them to go to bed when they have just a few nights left to chase fireflies or camp in the back yard!
My two are not of school age yet but I can’t imagine an earlier bedtime routine ever working in our house either! But I am really looking forward to going shopping for school supplies! Thanks for linking up with #FridayFrivolity
These tips are very useful! I love that you’re very realistic in what you post. I too go by the natural consequences method of returning to an earlier morning schedule. It takes care of itself in a couple days, you’re right!
One of our new goals this year… My daughter prepping her OWN lunch! WOOT WOOT! 🙂
My date book is my life line. I carry it in my purse and both kids have access to it to write in their work schedules and appointments. While Bruce is at work I have to be able to get both kids where they need to be, fit in my work outside the home, and manage the blog and then paint and sew pillowcases for the store. These tips are invaluable.
I really love the tip about setting a bedtime, but extending it 30 minutes for those kids who choose to read for that time. Brilliant!
I always looked forward to that ” one last fling” when I was growing up!
I don’t have school age kids yet, but I’m keeping this tips in mind for later. I especially love the idea of having a last hurrah of summer! 🙂
These are all super great tips. Thanks for sharing. I would like to invite you to Family Joy Blog Link Up Party. Sunday-Wednesday. Check us out http://thinking-outside-the-pot.com/?p=2826