Ready for First Grade: Back to Reality and Routines
As the summer is quickly coming to an end, we have begun the transition to more structure for the school year. My son did a wonderful job transitioning to full school days for kindergarten, but it was exhausting for everyone. Then, in the middle of the school year, his world was changed again as he became a big brother! In the life of a 5-year-old, that’s a lot of exciting stuff to process and we decided the summer would be kept simple.
The past two months were spent going on playground adventures, building Lego for hours, reading together, picnics and playing in the backyard, movie marathons, library trips, working in the garden, swim lessons and occasional play dates with new and old friends! It was simply wonderful!
Now the time has come to add structure to our days. Starting today, we will be practicing our routines throughout the day to work out any issues that might come up. We did this last year to get ready for kindergarten and the outcome was well worth it! (Note: My husband leaves for work before the kids get up most days, so only the evening hours relate to his schedule.)
5:00 – Mom Wake Up (Golden Hour – see here!)
6:00 – Kids Wake Up (Yoga Video, Free Play/Read)
6:30 – Breakfast & Clean Up
7:00 – Shower, Get Dressed, Brush Teeth
7:30 – Morning Chores (Feed Dogs, Dishes, etc)
8:00 – Be Ready to Leave
8:15-3:45 – School (Practice Writing/Reading/Math Workbooks, Eating Packed Lunch, etc)
4:00 – Homework and Snack, Re-Pack School Bag
5:00 – Dinner Prep, Pack Lunch, Evening Chores
5:30 – Family Dinner & Clean Up
6:00 – Family Time (Swim Lessons on Wednesdays)
6:30- 7:00 – Baby Bedtime Routine
7:30 – 8:00 – Kid Bedtime Routine
9:30 – Mom Bedtime
As the next few days progress, we will see how this all works out! I am really hopeful that keeping it simple, preparing the night before and making my expectations clear will have a positive influence to help us transition into our fall school schedule. My son is very high energy and has a creative mind that is always going, so I will have to find ways to embrace that while still managing our time productively.
What has worked for you to transition back into school routines? Have you found anything to keep the kids cooperating while sticking to a schedule? I would love to hear about what has (and hasn’t!) helped your family!
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