Back to School Rhythms
- Kelly Lowe
- Sep 2, 2016
- 6 min read
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With the approach of Autumn comes the kids' return to school. I'm sure like most parents, it is a bittersweet time for me. While I love spending time with my thirteen-year-old and having him around to help with his little brother, I also love the return to normalcy. Summertime is the time for my son to kick back, relax, have adventures, and live life to the fullest. So I am pretty lax when it comes to schedules in the summertime and we enjoy our little whims. But as summertime winds down, I crave my routines and daily rhythms. (It must be the inner teacher in me).
Yesterday was my son's first day back to school and it went rather smoothly. After many years of the morning rush of getting lunch together, making sure he had his track equipment, writing checks for field trips, and so on and so forth, it had to change. I have finally found a back-to-school rhythm that has worked for our family and I hope it helps yours as well.
The key to our sanity is getting ready
The Night Before:
1. Set out clothes for the next day I'm talking complete outfit here. I can't count how many times my son, Kai, has searched high and low for clean socks or where he left his jacket.
Parents! This would be the time to check the weather with your child to make sure what they have gotten ready is appropriate for the next day. You do not want them choosing shorts during a blizzard! You can take it even a step further by picking out clothes for the entire school week so that you are not scrambling to do laundry in the middle of the night!
2. Pack up backpack and get items needed for the next day
Make sure all homework and books are packed up and any other things needed are packed up such as science projects, an extra reading book in case they finish their current one, extra pencils for a test day, sports equipment for after school activities, etc. I also always make sure my son has a small first aid kit, granola bars, and a bottle of water in his backpack and replenish items as needed.
Parents! Make a habit of writing important school events on a family calendar and look over it together each night so you can prepare for the days ahead. You do not want to be running around town in the morning looking for neon yellow poster board for a project last minute!
Also make sure to set a time to sign notices and look over any school handouts. I always make a point of looking at them and signing them as soon I get them. (They go from the backpack to me and back to the backpack!)
3. Make lunch and any snacks.
By making lunch the night before you save precious morning hours that you can spend either sleeping, eating, or savoring that first cup of morning coffee.
Parents! You can save even more time if you get multiple days' lunches and snacks ready ahead of time. Remember you aren't the only who can do these things! Lucky for me my son is old enough to pack his own lunch and snacks. Even if your kids are younger, let them help by putting some pretzels into a reusable containers or have them wash the apples for their lunchbox. It is never to early to teach them to pack their own lunches!
It also helps to have a master shopping list of things you need on daily basis. Check off any items that need to be replenished so you always have the things you need ready. It is all about planning ahead and being ahead of the game!
4. Set your alarm clock and theirs
It is important for our body's internal clocks to wake up the same time each day. After getting up the same time each day (yes, weekends too!), your body will get used to it and both, you and your children, will wake up effortlessly the same time each day. I like to set my alarm for 5:30 (a half an hour earlier than my son's) so I can take some time to get ready for the day, like washing my face, getting dressed, reading, or even doing some stretches or yoga.
Parents! Make a habit of setting your alarm at least a half an hour ahead of your children's so you have some peaceful time to yourself!
Always check to see if your clocks are set correctly! You don't want to miss your wake up call!
5. Create a Breakfast Schedule
Before we perfected our family's morning rhythm, my son would take so long trying to decide what to have for breakfast that he often ate only half a bowl of cereal or ate waffles on the go. To remedy this I have created a breakfast schedule so each day there is no time wasted deciding on what to eat. At first my son challenged this new schedule but now all he has to do is look at our schedule (which is posted clearly on the fridge) and either he or I make it.
Parents! This should be planned out ahead of time preferably during a family discussion so that everyone can create the schedule together. You should also create a day before a big shopping trip so you can make sure you have all the items needed for everyone to eat from the schedule accordingly.
You can adapt your schedule to your family needs. You can have a weekly schedule, monthly schedule, or even a seasonal schedule. We change our schedule seasonally but our weekend Family Choice and Egg Breakfast Sundays are fixed all year long!
Our current breakfast schedule is as follows:
Monday- Homemade frozen waffles or pancakes
(since we are trying to eat less processed food, I make big batches of waffles or pancakes ahead of time and freeze them so all we have to do is pop them in the toaster or oven)
Tuesday- Hot or Cold Cereal
This can be either oatmeal or oat bran, or cereal with milk along with some fruit
Wednesday- Toast and yogurt with fruit
Toast is usually homemade bread or English muffins and unsweetened yogurt with honey and seasonal fruit.
Thursday-Eggs
We are lucky enough to have three chickens so our egg carton is usually full. Eggs are usually accompanied with toast and fruit. My favorite is a veggie scramble with cheese and spinach, shredded zucchini, or any veggies we have on hand.
Friday- French Toast
French toast is made with our fresh eggs and homemade bread! Luckily we live in New England so I always have fresh maple syrup on hand! Friday is definitely one of my favorite breakfasts!
Saturday- Family Choice
This means that anyone can have what they feel like having. Sometimes it is a fresh scone from our favorite bakery in town or can be a breakfast at our favorite local cafe.
Sunday-Eggs, Bacon, Hash browns
Sunday is our big sit down family breakfast at the dining room table. During the work week my husband usually doesn't have time in the morning to eat with us, so it is nice to eat together. Along with the eggs, bacon, and hash browns, we often have homemade toast, and fruit to accompany the meal. Sometimes when citrus is abundant in the winter we have fresh squeezed O.J. which keeps our immunity up with all that Vitamin C!
Every Morning:
6. Get up when the alarm sounds
Come on! Don't hit snooze and go back to bed! You Can do this! Make sure your kids are physically out of bed (don't make the mistake of waking them up and then leave the room. They WILL fall back asleep!)
7. Get washed and dressed
Make sure your kids are putting on the clothes that were set out the night before. (They will try to occasionally be sneaky and wear their Superman costume or dancing leotard to
school.​ ) Don't forget to get yourself ready for the day. Even though I am a stay-at-home mom and can get away with wearing my PJ's all morning, I like to at least brush my hair and put some yoga pants on!
8. Eat breakfast
Look at your breakfast schedule and see what is on the menu for the day. (Hopefully you shopped ahead of time!) Make breakfast, eat together, and clean up. In our house each person rinses their dishes and silverware and puts them in the dishwasher. My job is to wipe down the counter and hand wash any non-dishwasher safe items. Do whatever works for your family but trust me, having the kitchen clean makes for an even better morning!
9. Grab lunch, backpack, and head to school
After breakfast and clean up my son grabs his lunch from the fridge, puts it in his backpack, and heads to the bus stop. Since everything is ready the night before, the hard work is already done. (You may have to remind them to get their lunch out of the fridge and put it in their backpack!) Whether your family walks to the bus stop together, walks to school, or you drive them, you will feel less stressed as long as you have followed your schedule. It may take some practice, but in the end it will be well worth it!
10. Do a little celebratory dance!
You made it through the morning rush smoothly!
Do you have any rhythms or routines that save your mornings?
Comment below!
I'd love to hear what your family does.
Warmly,
Kelly