Summer vacation is an exciting and relaxing time, where kids and their families get to let loose and do as they please. Summertime is filled with long days, fun activities, trips, and activities. Perhaps you are a stay-at-home parent or your kids attended summer camp or away camps. In any event, when the school year returns, it can be a big adjustment period for your entire family. Waiting until the school year begins to get life on track for the year can cause unrest in your home. Join us in today’s post as we discuss some ways that you can make the transition smoother and keep your home carefree.
At Darlene’s Wee Care 4 Kids, we offer a wide range of childcare services including daycare, after school care, summer day camp, and academic services for our younger friends. We are heavily involved in the community and the surrounding school districts. We work with our kids’ parents and teachers to develop individual academic plans. For all of your childcare needs, contact us!
Begin talking about the upcoming school year.
Start introducing the idea of the upcoming changes now. You can simply ask your children if they are excited about the upcoming school year and what they are most interested in learning about this year. As a family, you can begin discussing goals for the coming year and how the school schedule will affect their interactions.
Start adjusting schedules.
Schedule adjustments are often the most stressful part about the beginning of the school year. To avoid a sudden shift, you can begin making small adjustments now. If you and your family have been sleeping in all summer and allowing your body the rest it deserves whenever you feel like it, begin transitioning back to the structure the school year requires. If, during the school year, you and the kids will have to awake at 6 am, begin inching closer to that over the remaining time you have. If you’ve been waking around 7:30 for most of the summer, try to wake up 10 minutes earlier tomorrow and slowly gravitate to 6:30 the week before school begins. The same thing should happen at bedtime and naptime.
Mealtimes are another area that should become a little more structured as the academic year nears. We suggest you set breakfast and lunchtimes to mimic meal times at school. Dinner time can be flexible around when you and your family will generally eat during the school year. Keep in mind daycare pickup times, work schedules and extracurricular activities you and your children participate in.
Wrap up your summer to-do list.
With the end of summer nearing, now is the time to complete your summer to-do list! Anything you’ve been wanting to do all summer long is now time to do it! Over the long summer days, they can often get away from us and before we know it, six weeks fly by. As a family, revisit your summer vacation list and make realistic plans to fit in as much as you can. While it may make the last few weeks seem busy, we only get 17 summers with our kids, so don’t waste a single one!
Go back-to-school shopping.
Back-to-school shopping is an exciting time that gets kids and their parents prepared for school. Once students have everything they need to be adequately prepared, it can help put everyone at ease, and even get kids excited about the new experiences awaiting them. Going back-to-school shopping early helps to save you money and offers you more time to find exactly what you want, rather than purchasing what remains after everyone else has picked through the school supplies.
Set up childcare plans.
If you haven’t done so already, especially if plans are changing from last school year or summer schedules, lock in your childcare plan. Finding someone to care for your children is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly or done at the last minute. Secure daycare or afterschool care and coordinate transportation to and from. If you are going to be the one to take your children to and from school and childcare, ensure that a friend, family member, or fellow parent knows all of the information and are listed on the school and daycare lists just in case something happens to you. Always have a backup plan.
At Darlene’s Wee Care 4 Kids, we provide safe and supportive childcare for the children of Upper Darby and their families. We offer services ranging from basic childcare to after school care and homework help. Our care programs include academics, meals, and field trips to keep your kids engaged and learning. For help with back-to-school care or routine adjustment, we are here to help. Contact us to get your children enrolled today.
