Time for Routine and Organization

Part 1 of a 3 part series...

It is that time again; time to get ready to return to school. Those long days of summer are nearing an end and soon everyone will return to a more routine schedule. That schedule can seem endless filled with school days, homework, after school clubs, sports, dance, carpool, meetings and leaving everyone looking forward to the weekend! Now is the time to set everyone up in the house to be more organized and have some daily expected routines.

Sounds wonderful! Now, where do we begin? A great way to begin is to shop for your school supplies online. kids klutter (www.kidsklutter.com) is a way to have your supplies taken care of keeping your sanity and taking the headache out of shopping at several stores. Since school is ready to begin, you may have already shopped for your supplies and realized it was not an easy task and was expensive…Well, next year think of us and we can help you get those supplies easier. So, now you have the school supplies and your children are ready to go!

Now what? How do I get my kids back into the school routine? A great place to start is with a family meeting. A meeting around a meal is always fun and communication happens naturally. Talk about the start of school, discuss concerns and build your kids up about the new adventure of meeting the teacher, new friends and seeing old faces as well. Acknowledge any fears they may have and let them know you are going to be there to help them get a good start. Also, talk about goals for the school year from each family member and write them down. Make sure you refer to those goals whenever possible to keep the kids on track. Let the family be involved in the daily routine and expectations you may have as parents. Talk about what things must be done and how the family will help one another get those things completed. This is also a good place to discuss safety, especially if your children are taking the bus or walking to school. Stranger danger awareness cannot start too early. There are many resources on this subject – check out your library for information and help your kids understand the importance of being safe at all times.

Agreeing to have a morning ritual is important since that is the first place everyone will feel successful in beginning the day with the feeling of accomplishment that will carry each of you. Wake-up times, getting ready, morning jobs and eating a healthy breakfast are all things that need to happen regularly so make them a part of the daily routine. Make sure all homework and backpacks are done and packed the night before and are kept in the same spot for easy pick up the following morning on the way out the door. Having the kids get their clothes and shoes ready the night before is a time saver in the morning and can be a part of their nighttime routine.

These are all steps in getting you and your kids organized ongoing.

Part 2 ... Back to School