The summer is over and back to school it is! It’s the time of year where we are trading in swimsuits for new backpacks. This time of year is undoubtedly stressful for students, but I think parents really get overlooked. I mean I’m not a parent, but I feel like the end of summer and the first few months of the school year can be a really taxing time for everyone involved.
Not only are your kids stressed, there is a ton of things that have to be done in order to prepare for the school year, not to mention you have your own things to deal with on top of all of that. With all that being said, this blog is geared specifically towards parents and has a few tips and tricks on how you can manage back to school stress! Read on to learn more 😊
The first thing we are going to talk about is adjusting and enforcing a sleep and wake up schedule. I think this is probably one of the most important things on this list we are going to address. Summertime is notorious for going to bed late, waking up late and spending lots of time with friends and family. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that, but it can just make getting back into the swing of things at the end of summer difficult.
A few weeks before school starts, it’s a good idea to start adjusting your kids back to their normal school schedules. This will make your life a lot less stressful once school starts because your kids will already be adjusted to their usual bedtime and wake up time. It won’t be that fight that I know it was in my house when me and my siblings were growing up.
A lot of people don’t know a lot about dry erase film which is a bummer because it’s really cool. There is dry erase film for both windows and walls. Typically when we talk about dry erase film it’s for commercial settings like conference rooms or private offices. However, dry erase film can most definitely work in home settings as well. It’s a great study tool for kids and it makes studying fun.
I know I used to use the mirrors in my bathroom as a white board and it would drive make my parents so mad. Dry erase film for windows can be installed directly on to mirrors or glass and you won’t have to deal with the headache my parents had to...you’re welcome. You can install dry erase film to walls in your child’s room or playroom and it's a really easy way to help your child do their homework.
Screen time 😐 Unfortunately, it's is at an all time high and kids have more screen time than ever before. Even at school the amount of screen time has sky rocketed. With that being said, monitoring and limiting screen time is so important. When your kids get home from school, monitor what they are doing and how much screen time they are having.
A lot of times kids will want to come home and go straight to playing on their phone or playing video games before they get started on their homework. This is a big no, no. It makes them less likely to get their homework done at all and it’s teaching them that screen time is more important and can come before school work.
An easy way to monitor this is to set a certain amount of screen time during both weekdays and weekends. There might not be school on weekends, but you still don’t want your child to be glued to their devices 24/7. You should not only set a limit on the amount of screen time, you can also set the time of day they are allowed to use it.
It’s important to allow the usage after all of their homework and house chores are complete. This will ultimately lead to lower stress for you as a parent because it will hopefully lead to less situations and arguments where homework isn’t getting done.
Improving time management skills is really similar to limiting screen time. Limiting screen time will ultimately lead to improved time management skills. Having a set time where homework needs to be done every day will help keep everything organized and ensure all school work is getting done. It not only helps your kids keep everything in track, it will help you as a parent as well.
Enrolling your kids in after school activities is great! It not only keeps them active and healthy, it also keeps them engaged with the school and their peers. While your kids are gone at their after school activities, you can have more time for yourself and to get your own stuff done.
This is a good one. If your kids are excited about their back to school supplies, they are more likely to be excited about going back to school and using those supplies. The end of summer and going back to school might not be the most appealing thing in the world for kids, so why not make it as fun as possible for them?! Not to mention it's one less thing for you to worry about.
This one kind of goes hand-in-hand with adjusting and enforcing a sleep schedule. Creating a solid morning routine will make your life as a parent so.much.easier. There is nothing worse than a stressful morning to start off your day. Mornings where your child doesn’t get out of bed, doesn’t have their clothes picked out and it’s just a mess. It starts arguments and it’s just not fun.
Why not prevent this from happening? Work with your child and create a solid morning routine. A routine that’s realistic and easy to complete every morning. This takes a lot of stress off of you as the parent and creates a seamless morning.
I feel like each of these tips all tie in with the next, because this goes hand-in-hand with creating a solid morning routine. Have you ever had a morning where you have to leave in five minutes to get to school on time and your child is like, “where are my practice clothes for after school?” And you realize they are dirty and in the laundry basket. Not fun. Extremely stressful.
Cut out this stress by laying clothes out for the next day the night before. If you realize the clothes are dirty, you can quickly do a load of laundry so they are ready to go the next morning. It might seem like a pain in that moment, but you will thank yourself the next morning.
Meal prepping is becoming increasingly popular for adults, so why not meal prep for your kids also? Set apart some time on Sunday to prepare lunches for the entire week. Once the lunches are made, depending on what it is, you can easily store them in either the freezer or fridge to preserve them for the week. This will save you so much time and so much stress on those chaotic weekday mornings.
And finally. I saved the most important for last. Take care of yourself. I feel like this gets overlooked by many parents. You spend so much of your time taking care of your kids and making sure they have everything they need. Which don’t get me wrong, is wonderful.
However, it's also important to take care of yourself. Have a set time for you to do what you like to do and what makes you happy. I promise you will see a noticeable difference in your week and how you feel.
I know this blog was also a little different than what we normally talk about, but I think the topic is really important. Back to school is a stressful time for both kids and parents. It can be really overwhelming and challenging so I hope this blog gave you a few ideas on how to navigate this time of year. If you are interested in getting dry erase window film installed to your home, contact Solar Art today!