The start of school is right around the corner, we aren’t all ready….how about you? Here are 5 ways to make the transition back to school easier on your kids and you:
- Go ahead and start rolling back your child’s bed time. Summers are great for so many reasons and they can also wreak havoc on our school year sleep schedules. Start by moving bedtimes closer to where they will be for the school year. So if your child needs to be in bed by 9pm for school and is currently up until 11pm, roll that time back 15 to 30 minutes each night.
- Now it’s time to wake them up earlier. If you or your kids have ever had a “case of the Mondays”, you may wonder why. Getting at the same time every day, yep 7 days a week, helps make Mondays easier. Start getting your kids ready for the start of school by getting them up at the same time they need to for school.
- Start establishing both night and morning routines. With the extra time in the morning start walking through the daily routine for school even if school hasn’t started yet. You can also practice the same routine at night. We have an alarm set in our home that goes off every night at the same time to remind us to start getting ready for bed.
- Take time to sit down and connect with your kids. See if they have any concerns about the coming year or are really excited about something special. They may be excited about seeing old friend and nervous about meeting new ones. They may even have concerns about starting with a new teacher or doing well in a new subject.
- Take one more look at the things that your kids might need this year at school before the night before. Did you have a chance to pick up school supplies or that one thing that wasn’t in the bulk school supply order? What about uniforms or that special lunch box that they wanted?
Getting your kids back-to-school ready will mean something different for each of them. Some will need that really cool new backpack or lunch box and others just need to know that the first day is sometimes comes with feelings of anxiety and that this is okay. Each of these 5 items is not only about making the start of school easier on them, it’s also about making it easier on you. Have a great start to the year!!
The Houston Center for Valued Living offers counseling for children and teenagers with anxiety, depression, school challenges, behavioral concerns, and life transitions.
Christen Sistrunk, M.A., LPC specializes in working with adolescents, adults, and seniors with a range of anxiety and depression related complaints in Houston, Texas. She is a founder of the Houston Center for Valued Living and is Co-President of OCD Texas, a non-profit support and advocacy group for people with OCD and related disorders. She is available to see clients in office and through web/teletherapy on Mondays, Wednesdys, and Fridays. Contact Christen to schedule an appointment.
Nina Moak,M.A., LPC-Intern has a passion for helping children and adolescents with a variety of concerns including behavioral issues, school performance, anxieties, social issues, depression, and common issues that accompany adolescence. Nina is a licensed professional counselor intern under the supervision of Carly Malcolm-Hoang LPC-S. Nina is available to see clients on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Contact Nina to schedule an appointment.