Just about this time of year I start to get a little itchy for some routine. If it’s humid it really annoys me and I start to yearn for sweaters and football. Whether you are homeschooling or your student(s) will be getting on the school bus there is certainly an adjustment period that comes with the start of the school year. This is how our family starts to taper our days toward our school schedule.
Schedule mornings
Whether it’s a meet up at the playground or scheduling your grocery pick up for just after breakfast getting up and out of the house will be good practice to get up and moving.
Less Screen Time
Slow summer mornings in our house often include tv time for the boys. Sometimes it’s easy to keep it on a while but there isnt enough time in the day to watch that much television and get school work done so we cut it down a lot during the school year. By dropping the amount of time in front of screens there will be more playing and therefore help with the next couple of steps. For more on how to cut your families screen time check out my post Slashing our Screen Time.
Quiet time
Summer has allowed our typical quiet time to go by the wayside. B intentional with 30 minutes or so of time where everyone is in the own space. Reading, listening to an audio book, quiet playing like puzzles, Legos or drawing, or resting. Start small and work up to the desired time that works for your family. The quiet and independent time is refreshing for everyone, including Mama!
Double Batch Cooking
No one wants to spend the last weeks of summer in the kitchen. Plan a few meals that are easily doubled and tuck that second batch in the freezer. On those first couple of weeks of school when everyone, including Mom and Dad, will be more tired with the change of schedule and will be blessed by that meal all ready to go! Meal Prep Without Actually Meal Prepping is a post I shared about ways to save time in the kitchen.
Above are my Granola, Energy Bites and No Boil Mac and Cheese ,recipes, go check them out!
Intentional Bed Time
This is probably the hardest one for our family. If kids havent had a ton of tv time and more playing they will hopefully be ready for bed a bit earlier. Set up some small routines, bath, stories, etc, and start to shift bedtime to a bit earlier to ensure kiddos get enough rest for all of the learning of the school year and in turn mornings are smoother.
I hope this is helpful and finds you in a wonderful summer and getting ready for a wonderful school year. Make sure you go out and have some fun with your kiddos, summer is short and so are our children’s time as children.
