In just a matter of weeks (only a few weeks for many!), school will be starting, and it’s never too early to get ready. With a little planning, you can get a jump start on a healthy back-to-school routine — one that everyone in the family can get behind.
Set Earlier Bedtimes
Schedule Health Checks
Get all the one-off details out of the way now so you can go on autopilot during the school year. Schedule health checkups, immunizations updates, and things like dental and vision checkups. This clears the way for less hectic afternoons and fewer missed school hours during the year.
Do a Test Run
In the days leading up to the first day of school, do a couple of test runs of your morning routine. Think of it as a dress rehearsal for the opening-night performance. This is especially important for kids heading off to school for the first time. Or for those who find transitions and sudden change stressful or upsetting.
Set Expectations Now
If screentime limits, table manners, and healthy food choices have fallen by the wayside during these final weeks of summer, start setting (and enforcing) school-year expectations now. You can still be a little lax. Just prepare them for the coming changes once school starts.
Organize Mornings
Start routine habits now, such as making beds before sitting down to breakfast, or brushing teeth and then getting ready for the pool. This creates a “when-then” routine that carries into the school year. When the bed is made or your backpack is ready, then it’s time to eat breakfast. When teeth are brushed, then put on your shoes. Whatever works best for how you get your kids out the door. Structure is key in the blur of early mornings.
Check for Lice
Nothing wrecks a healthy and solid back-to-school plan like getting a call from school because your child has lice. It takes two weeks for eggs to hatch and the itching to start. Do a few lice checks in the weeks leading up to school, and save yourself the expense and hassle of last-minute treatments.
Plan Lunches
Dreams of healthy brown-bag lunches often turn into boring PB & J and bags of chips by the end of the school year. But start brainstorming healthy, tasty lunches that suit your kids’ tastes now. Write them down and stick the plan on the fridge. Maybe this is the year your kids can start packing their own lunches, too.
