After vacation, the first Monday of school can be a battle. The trick is adjusting the routine beforehand, not the night before.
Sleep, 2 weeks ahead
Move bedtime fifteen minutes earlier every two or three days until you reach the school schedule. Preschoolers need between ten and thirteen hours of sleep; elementary students, between nine and twelve.
- A light, early dinner.
- Screens off an hour before bed.
- A fixed ritual: bath, pajamas, story, lights out.
The unhurried morning
- Clothes and backpack ready the night before.
- Waking up with time to sit down for breakfast.
- A picture list of the steps, for the youngest children.
- Leaving the house five minutes earlier than you need.
Lunchbox ideas
- Cut fruit and a handful of nuts or seeds (if the school allows them).
- A whole-grain sandwich with cheese or chicken.
- Vegetable sticks with a yogurt dip.
- Plain water in a bottle with their name on it.
Avoid juice and sugary cookies: the sugar spike shows up in their attention by mid-morning.
The conversation on the way back
«How did it go?» almost always gets a «fine». Try specific questions instead: «who did you play with at recess?», «what was the funniest thing today?».
