As one of the Midwest’s youth mentoring organizations, we’re gearing up our after-school programming to start as Omaha schools start back up again. This week, we’re tackling some tips for Omaha kids and parents to smooth out the back-to-school transition!
What can you do to smooth out the back-to-school wrinkles for your family?
Bring back bedtime
Summer is a fun time for kids - and it should be! But when school makes its comeback every fall, it’s time to get back into the routine of things. A good first step is to bring back bedtime.
Get a good morning routine going for the family
And, right after bringing back bedtime, it’s also time to bring back the morning routine. Since summertime usually translates into looser bedtimes and not getting up at the crack of dawn, it’s important to get into a consistent morning routine before the shock of school hits. Start setting your alarm for your normal “school” time and work backwards from there until you hit a normal school-day wake-up time for your child. If you’re up for an extra challenge, try not to hit snooze!
Bring back hygiene
While summers may be spent digging in the garden or for worms, playing on playground equipment that’s been used by hundreds of other kids or anything else disgusting that your kids can find to touch, schools can actually have more germs, in some cases. Make sure to brush up on basic hygiene principles with your family so that they’re washing their hands more regularly.
Create (or refresh) your drop zone in your home
Either create a good drop zone or refresh the one you already have, but consider a place for all of the paperwork that comes home, backpacks, extra books, lunch bags and everything else that’s part of the daily routine.
Update your calendar
Make sure to grab all of the important school dates (days off, start dates, early dismissals, conference days, etc.) and put them into your electronic calendar system or on your wall calendar. The more organized you are from the beginning, the more smoothly your time management will go!
Try getting into the homework habit early
If it’s hard for your kids to transition into a good homework habit, try introducing it a little early. Generally speaking, kids seem to be more successful if homework is done shortly after school. If you need to, try some quiet reading time or an educational game in the late afternoon or early evening for the last week or two of summer to get everyone going on the new habit.
Find programs that work for your family
If you need help with after-school programs or tutoring, mentoring,
athletics or anything else your student needs, start researching before school starts, or as soon as the trouble becomes apparent.
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DREAM, one of the Midwest’s well-known youth mentoring organizations, provides life-changing and life-enriching experiences to at-risk youth through mentoring and after-school programs in Omaha, Nebraska, and Springfield, Missouri. Their proven approach puts children in a comfortable setting where they’re encouraged to discuss openly, learn, and grow as individuals. Are you interested in getting involved with DREAM? Contact us today.
