Time to Get Ready for School - Already?

I know, we have over a month before school starts. (Here, anyway - some of you have considerably more time left!) But even though we're in the midst of summer vacation, it's time to (re)start school-year habits. This will make the first weeks of school much easier for everyone!

First, start adjusting the kids' bedtime back on what will be school nights. Ten to fifteen minutes at a time, for a week or two, until it's the week before school starts and bedtime is normal. If you can't bear that, try just five minutes or so for four or five days at a time. At our house, bedtime will be 9pm, but it's currently around 10. So starting July 5, it's going to be 9:45 for two weeks, then 9:30 for a week, then 9:15 for a week, then 9:00. (Wake-up time gets adjusted accordingly, too!)

Next, if your kids haven't been involved in a summer reading program, take advantage of one. Get them back to reading independently at least 15 minutes each day. If they're cooperative, have them write letters or book reports on their favorites, or help you write out the grocery list. Anything to sharpen dull handwriting skills.

Also, begin limiting computer, TV, and video game time. Like bedtime, this can be done in small increments. While these are great ways to kill time over the summer, kids are seeing an average of over a hundred commercials (and more ads, if they spend time on the Internet) each day. Especially limit viewing later in the day, as this can affect sleep quality at night. I've said it before, but never allow kids to have the TV on in their rooms at night - those who do are more likely to have sleep problems, poor sleep, and to suffer from problems associated from poor sleep, such as attention problems during the day, and obesity.

Finally, it's time for older kids to start managing their time in preparation for homework. Introduce them to a day planner. Buy something simple or print your own and let them customize it. For now, they can keep track of chores or library due dates, and check things off as they get done. Once school starts, a standard planner is much better than an assignment notebook for keeping track of work. This is especially true for long-term projects or reports that will require daily attention over more than one day!

With this kind of advance planning, your kids may still not like school, but school days will be easier - on them and on you!