For Realtors® across the country, September signals the start of our perennially hectic fall real estate season. While we spend the last few weeks of the generally quieter summer season preparing for what usually promises to be a busy fall market, we know that there are some of us who tend to be quite a bit busier than others.
For Realtors® who are also parents to school-aged children, September signals the start of the new school year too, which requires a different kind of preparation in itself. Whether or not you’re a Realtor® yourself, if you had or have school-aged children, you’ll know what kind of challenges ‘back to school’ poses.
No matter what your occupation is, however, we know from experience that getting your kids ready to go back to class requires some careful planning and foresight. To help you lighten the load and cut down on your own portion of preparatory homework, here are a few tips we have to help your children — and you as well, for that matter — get back to school ready.
Start Cracking Down On Bedtimes
If there’s one thing holidays are good for, it’s getting a few extra hours of sleep each night. However, when kids have a few months at a time off from school during summer, sleep schedules tend to slip a little more drastically.
While that’s all a part of what summer’s all about for school-aged kids, the fun stops quite suddenly when September comes around and classes begin as early as 8 or 9 a.m. That’s why we recommend you help ease the transition for your kids a little bit earlier than usual.
Ideally starting a few weeks in advance of their first day back at school, you should begin making more regular bedtime schedules that mean your kids incrementally wake up earlier and earlier as the countdown gets closer and closer. This way, your kids won’t be shocked when the hour hands of their alarm clocks are still pointing at single digits when they start buzzing on September mornings.
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Include More Structure Into Their Days
Just like your childrens’ summer sleep schedules, the structure of their day-to-day summer schedules tends to get quite ‘lax as well. While you might’ve kept them busy with any number of fun activities during the summer, it’s always hard to adjust back to the rigours of the classroom when September comes back around.
Generally speaking, attention spans seem to shorten quite a bit during summertime, and that can make for a very frustrating return to a school learning environment. We’re definitely not suggesting you start handing out homework to your kids before the first day back, as that’s one surefire way to earn you the ‘worst parent ever’ title in their eyes.
What we are suggesting is that you start to slowly limit things like screentime and free play in favour of more structured activities like reading and helping out around the house. Just like our tip about sleep schedules, when you help your kids develop more of a routine here they’ll be much more prepared for the structure and demands of a full day back at school.
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Don’t Dismiss Them For Lunch
In terms of your childrens’ summer diets, they’re supposed to be having fun with what they eat when they’re on holiday too. That being said, it’s all too easy for them to be left to their own devices when it comes to lunchtime when things like leftovers or pre-packaged foods are always around — especially if you’re busy with work demands.
Once back to school starts again, however, you won’t really have that luxury anymore, as what your kids take to school with them for lunch will be your responsibility once again. And as a parent, you probably try your best to ensure they’re eating healthy and nutritious foods all the time, and especially when they need that little bit of extra brainpower during the day.
Our tip? Make lunchtime more of a collaborative effort in the lead-up to the start of the new school year. Encourage your kids to become more engaged in what they’re eating for lunch by taking the time to make their lunches with them instead of for them.
This way, you’ll not only be able to sort out what their school lunch preferences are, but hopefully will be able to show them how they can help you put their lunchboxes together when you’re more pressed for time later on.
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Get Crafty With Back To School Shopping Lists
While few children feel genuinely excited about the idea of going back to school, most are quite happy to accompany their parents on their back back-to-school shopping trips. However, as parents who foot the bill for all the new clothes and school supplies, we don’t necessarily tend to share the same enthusiasm.
If you’ve got multiple children of different ages, however, one common practice you and your children are likely to be familiar with is sharing hand-me-downs in order to save a bit of cash. While inheriting your older brothers’ backpack or pencil case from last year isn’t quite as fun as getting a brand new set of your own, by playing up these gestures as more of a symbolic rite of passage, you can (hopefully) reduce the bottom lines on back-to-school expenses.
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When you do need to buy something new for your kids though, you should also take the time to make that feel special for them too. Make that journey out to get a new pair of jeans feel like an occasion and something to be excited about. If you place heavier meaning on receiving a new item, you might find your children’s back-to-school shopping lists don’t turn out quite so long.
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