Going back to school takes some acclimatisation. Not only for you as a parent but for your children too. I know that I need to cut them some slack and make sure that we are all a little gentler on each other.
It is understandable that after six weeks off school with much more freedom and less routine that they are going to find the return to school a challenge, but the fact is that whilst they are at school they are good and make sure that they do their best, it is at home that it all starts to unravel!
5 Tips for helping your kids to acclimatise to back to school
Food is everything!
No really, it is key to give your kids a good protein based breakfast as they can not snack as they can during the holidays. So making sure they get the best start ot the day is essential. I also find that the boys return home from school ravenous, so I ensure that they have a good balanced afterschool snack waiting for them which keeps them full till dinner time.
Keep hydrated
I am not around to remind and ensure that the boys have lots to drink whilst they are at school. I make sure that they get a good drink once they come home and send them to school with their new water bottles filled with cold water.
Don’t overschedule
Make sure that you don;t over schedule activities for the first couple of weeks back at school. Kids will be tired after a day at school and it is essential that they unwind. My boys don;t have many after school activities anyway, but for the first couple of weeks I make sure that they do not have to go.
Plan quiet activities
I know that my boys will be tired and this often means that they are tetchy with each other, so I make sure that I plan activities to keep then occupied, but not over stimulated. I love invitations to create and I am also a little more relaxed with regards to TV time.
Go outside
After being in a classroom all day the boys need their exercise and to get outside. It is essential to their wellbeing and to mine too. I make sure we go to the park, beach and walk the dog so that they can get out some of their energy.
Sleep is essential
Children need a good nights sleep and it is one of the things that I am really strict about. The guidelines for the amount of sleep is:
- 4 years 11.5 hours
- 5 years 11 hours
- 6 years 10.75 hours
- 7 years 10.5 hours
- 8 years 10.25 hours
- 9 years 10 hours
- 10 years 9.75 hours
- 11 years 9.5 hours
- 12 years 9.25 hours
- 13 years 9.25 hours
- 14 years 9 hours
- 15 years 8.75 hours
- 16 years 8.5 hours
How do you help your kids during this first couple of weeks?
I see parents putting their kids to bed straight away as they are tired. I keep mine going- at the park, in the garden etc – keeping them awake until at least 7. Good post.
Eek, Boo starts school nursery in a couple of weeks and I completely agree about not over-scheduling, We’re going to introduce her extracurricular activities slowly so she’s not too tired and still enjoys them.
Good timing Jen, Ozzy is struggling this week with tiredness. As a boy who by nature had never slept more than 8 hours a night he’s already missing out on sleep so he finds it hard to re-charge.
We always walk home from school which is about 3/4 of a mile so we get the chance to talk about the day. Last week we stopped to pick blackberries on the way home. Sadly my daughter’s school starts straight away with the homework so we have to get that sorted as soon as we get in as there is maths, reading and spellings to be done.
That’s a great list and I am sure lots of parents will be glad of it. When my daughter started school 13 years ago she was just 4 and tiredness was immense, in fact some days they let her have a little nap after lunch xxx
Some good ones in this post , very helpful .x
Great post Jen. I have all this to come in a few years! x
My 4 year old and 8 year old boys get approximately 10.5 hours sleep a night so not bad
After the lie ins during the school holidays it is the getting up in the morning that is the struggle…and then she is usually tired and will go to bed without too much argument!
great post and advice!
I need 10 hours sleep or I get really mardy, never mind little ones x
My little peeps certainly enjoy their sleep so that is never an issue!
We like to go to the park after school or in the garden to get some fresh air too and burn off some energy, which appears to be endless x
great post, and very helpful tips x
Some really good advise here, you are right the first couple of weeks should be kept slow and steady to set a routine again after the summer break.
This is a great post with some really helpful tips x