The beginning of the school year often initiates the challenge of adjusting to a new schedule. We can all feel sad to leave summer behind with its longer days, more relaxed routines, and if your child is older, the freedom of not having to get homework done. It can be confusing that weather still feels like summer, beckoning us to spend time outside.
Recognizing that we still have a foot in both seasons, maybe we can all enter the fall season more gently, allowing ourselves a gradual entrance into more structured routines. This is the time we can lay the foundation for getting enough rest and feeling connected to one another by creating routines that leave family members, including ourselves, feeling secure and happy.
We can start by paying more attention to the beginning and end of the day. If everyone has had a more relaxed sleep schedule over summer, waking up to an alarm and struggling to leave the house to get to school on time can leave everyone feeling cranky. At the end of the day, children are often irritable after stretching themselves to adapt to new classrooms.
Mornings
Give yourself some time to adjust to each day before everyone has to get ready. Get up earlier than your children and do something restorative like stretching, drinking coffee, reading a book. Start the day with a positive connection: spend 10 minutes snuggling or talking with your child to wake him up rather than using an alarm. If things get rushed in the race to leave, make up for it by playing a game or listening to music in the car.
Preschool adjustments don’t happen overnight. Even children who have been at school for a year often feel anxious about having new teachers or new students starting in the room. Parents can help children de-stress by spending nurturing time alone in the beginning and end of the day.
Pick-up time
On your way to pick up your child at school, you can create a nice transition for yourself by listening to beautiful music or an audio book during your drive, in order to leave work dilemmas behind. It’s helpful when we know that children may have lots of big feelings at the end of the day, and on bad days, younger children especially might have meltdowns. We do well when we can listen to children’s complaints without getting alarmed. It helps them release their stress when we validate their feelings and point out that new beginnings are hard.
After picking your child up, having a snack together in the car or stopping at a park, when there’s time, allows for everyone to have a letdown from the day.
Bedtime
In September we often usher in a new sleep schedule as the days get shorter and life takes on more structure. One of the most important components of ensuring that children get adequate rest is helping them relax their bodies and minds before sleep.
Reading out loud even to older children is restful.
In addition to favorite stories, there are books and audiotapes designed to help children systematically relax every part of their bodies.
In a few months, everyone will have established a sense of belonging in their new classroom communities, and we will be having some community events that we can all enjoy together.
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