Prietto Speech Therapy

It’s that time of year…Back to School. Whether your child/children are going to school for the first time or back again, it is a big transition. This applies to a new daycare, caretaker, sports schedule and so much more. Here are tips for a smooth transition.

1. Support healthy sleep habits. Limit screen time an hour before bedtime. Create a bedtime routine. Maybe diffuse essential oils near bed; we love a Young Living blend called Sleepyize. Read together. And start everything earlier. Dinner-bath-bedtime routines all need to get started earlier if you’ve relaxed during summer like my family has.
2. Be kind to your future selves. Observe where your kids are dumping backpacks, shoes and lunchboxes. Reduce the stress of looking for said items by setting up some organizational habits. We keep backpacks and shoes in assigned cubbies by the front door. My boys are STILL learning to put things back in theirs, but it does help when I find wayward hats/shoes/sweatshirts etc to quick clean up. The cubbies are the first place they are reminded to look, instead of me looking for their misplaced items.
3. Create morning routines and use simple language to help stay on task. We figured out that it was better if the boys got dressed before breakfast, including socks. Then it was brush-bed-backpack. So once the boys were finished eating breakfast, they were reminded to brush teeth, make their beds, and come up for their backpacks (which is where they put on shoes) and gather whatever else they needed particular for that day. My youngest often got distracted on the way from breakfast to brushing his teeth, so it was a good reminder. We would also ask him, “What’s next?”. That helped him think through the routine and not forget.

Lastly, please be patient with yourself and your child(ren) as you go through the transition. It takes time, up to 6 weeks, to get into a new routine. It can be exhausting in all the ways, emotionally, socially, mentally and physically, to be back in school. Having grace and preparing yourself to handle the ups and downs during this transition will help. Wishing everyone a safe and successful school year.