Although it happens every year, back-to-school season somehow manages to sneak up on us. If we don’t start easing our way back into the rhythms of the school year before the first day of school, it can lead to chaotic mornings, rushing and trying to play catch up.

Alarms need to be reset, lunches need to be packed, and structure needs to be restored to prepare for the school year. Transitioning from a relaxing summer to the start of the school year can be tricky. But it doesn’t have to be. Thankfully, you can prepare ahead by implementing our 5 tips to help make the back-to-school transition smoother and calmer.

1. Set night and morning alarm times.

The key to starting the day off on the right foot is to have your kids wake up refreshed and on time. The temptation to snooze skyrockets if they haven’t gotten enough rest. The trick is to have them get to bed early enough to sleep the 7-8 hours needed.

Most people set alarms to wake up on time, but did you know you could set an alarm in the evening also? This can be a trigger to begin the evening routine and get ready for bed. You can set this around 30 minutes before bedtime to allow time to slowly transition into sleep. A bonus tip would be to gather your kid’s electronics and keep them overnight. One of the biggest disruptors of falling asleep easily is the blue light from screens, along with the many distractions that come with having your device with you in bed.

Once their morning alarms ring, have them wake up and get ready in the morning. The simple act of getting ready is a good habit to establish a healthy morning routine.

Although your kids may resist this one, setting a morning alarm to wake up and an evening alarm to begin the bedtime routine will help them re-establish a normal circadian rhythm or sleep-wake pattern. Our bodies adjust to consistent sleep and wake times, making us more awake and alert. If sleep and wake times fluctuate often and abruptly, there is a risk of feeling groggy and sleepy.

Remember that this won’t be perfect and will take time to work successfully, but that is the beauty of starting this before school starts. You are giving your family the wiggle room needed to adjust to this change. Not sure what times to set the morning and evening alarms? No worries! Trial and error will be your friend. You may have a child that takes longer getting ready (which is completely fine) so just change it based on what works best for your family.

2. Set out tomorrow’s outfit the night before.

Even though your kids may be wearing comfy lounge clothes instead of uniforms during the summer, the act of picking out their clothes ahead of time can ease some of the next morning’s decisions.

According to the NIH, the average American adult makes 35,000 decisions a day, which can lead to decision fatigue. Decision fatigue is the impaired ability to make decisions and control behavior due to an overload of decisions. In order to combat this, automating or eliminating decisions can lighten the load and prevent decision fatigue.

As small as laying out your outfit the night before may seem, it can make all the difference in mornings when you are short on time. One way to frame this is that “future you” (the you of tomorrow) will be better off because of “today you’s” choice to plan ahead.

3. Print and display their school calendar.

Have your children’s school calendar printed and visible for the whole family to see. Both kids and parents can benefit from having transparency on key dates, like the first day of school, days off/holidays, and deadlines.

Below are numerous benefits of having a calendar displayed:

It provides perspective, displaying how many weeks or days are left until the first day of school. If a visual reminder is out of sight, it can be easy to think that August seems far away if you are at the end of June, but on a calendar that’s not far off.
It can help strengthen your children’s executive functions of planning/scheduling.
It ensures clarity and predictability of what’s to come this school year.
It gives shared accountability to your child to not just rely on you to be their calendar. They can share the load of checking it to see if there are any special dates coming up.

4. Schedule appointments during the summer

Since the school year gets busy, it can help to complete appointments during the summer, such as doctor’s appointments, dentist appointments, and haircuts. To make your wait time lower at the doctor's, schedule appointments near holidays (like July 4th or Memorial Day) since many people tend to be out of town those weeks.

5. Buy school supplies in advance

Schools tend to share the supply list during the summer months. This is the perfect time to buy school books, supplies, backpacks, and uniforms/clothes for school as kids tend to grow quickly. In order to avoid buying duplicates, make sure to scan your home for existing supplies that can be reused for the next school year.

Once you’ve done that, you can plan a list with your kids and head to the store. This is fun for most kids. Not only is it exciting to buy new things because our brains release endorphins and dopamine after each purchase, but it’s also a way to build anticipation around the new school year. They will likely feel empowered to express themselves by customizing their supplies. This one small activity can set the tone for the new school year.

From Stress to Success!

Back-to-school season has a bad reputation, but it doesn't have to! Change is inevitable and uncomfortable, especially when moving from a relaxing summer to a busy school year. But it can be enjoyable. If you implement our 5 tips of setting morning/evening alarms, laying out the next day’s outfit, having the new school year calendar accessible, scheduling appointments for the summer, and buying any supplies needed, you will be refreshed and ready to start this fall season on the right foot. You have the choice to make your life easier by planning ahead, knowing that it will take time to adapt to the school year routines.

5 Tips for a Smoother Back-to-School Season