After a nice, long winter vacation, getting your child back into a school routine can be a little challenging. It’s not only tough on kids, but on parents, too. But even if your kid is doing remote learning, they’ll still need to get into school mode and these tips can help ease the transition for you and them.
- Put the kids to bed earlier -Time to get that sleep schedule back on track and getting the kiddos to sleep 30 minutes earlier for a few nights should help.
- And wake them up- Getting up early after a long break can be brutal, but if you also start waking them up earlier a few days before school starts, it may help ease them back into the routine.
- Talk about it- Help get your kid excited about the good things that come with going back to school, like seeing friends, not being bored, and doing special activities they like in school. Talk to them about how it can be hard to get back into a routine, so they know it’s okay to struggle with it.
- Get organized- Even if your kids are doing remote learning, prep them for school by getting all their supplies in one place, and be sure to let them pitch in. Being organized and ready to go will make it all feel more real.
- Bring on the quiet time- Have your kids do at least 30 minutes of reading a day during a designated quiet time to get back into the swing of things.
- Validate their feelings- If your kid starts to feel anxious or irritable, or tells you they want to stay home, try using fantasy statements to ease the mood. If they say they don’t want to go to school, tell them you want to stay home too so you can eat candy all day and never work again. It should break the mood and if it doesn’t, simply listen to them and assure them what they’re feeling is normal.
- Keep them active- Get them outside and moving to burn off all that excess energy.
- Limit electronics and screen time- Winter break may have included a lot more TV and tablet time and limiting their electronics use now could help get them back into a daily routine.
Source:Moms.com