Attention friends with school-aged kids!
I have a PSA for you that just pains me to deliver…
However, as your friendly sleep consultant, it is my job to bring this to your attention:
Summer is quickly ending and back-to-school time is upon us!
Here’s Your Back-to-School Homework!
I can say with confidence that this school year will look different from any we’ve experienced before. But one thing remains the same: whether your kids are partaking in a form of online learning or going back to the classroom itself — we’ve got some planning to do.
We need to buy all of the school supplies — the markers, the erasers, the pencils, the paper…
We need to schedule all the appointments — the haircuts, the doctor's visits, the teacher meetings…
And, just as important as the above to-dos...
We need to get our kids back on a schedule that is conducive to school.
Let’s face it: I'm sure that we have all experienced what I like to call the Summer Schedule Slide.
If we don't start adjusting our kids’ schedules now so that they get used to waking up earlier, those first few weeks of school are going to be even more miserable. Trust me.
As a sleep consultant, you would think that I would be immune to the Summer Schedule Slide.
Confession: I’m not.
As the days have gotten longer, my children's sleep schedule has shifted later and later. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it — but they're going to bed at 8:30 and waking up at 8. And that’s OK — they're getting enough sleep! — but this is not going to work when school begins.
So, with your best interest in mind (and mine, too!), I have come up with a plan in order to get ahead of the back-to-school game.
My Two-Phase Back-to-School Strategy Plan
This plan is simple and straight-forward enough that any family can do it. I promise. You just need a little extra focus and commitment to make it happen.
Phase One is all about getting back into our routines. Phase Two is about shifting the schedule earlier.
Think you can handle it? I thought so.
Phase One: Get Back to the Routine
It’s important to get into the back-to-school routine sooner rather than later. There is far less pressure now than there will be once school begins…
You know the scene: no one has their shoes on, breakfast is a bust, somehow 30 minutes has turned into 30 seconds, and it’s a mad dash to get out the door.
If your kids aren't used to doing all the things they need to do in order to get out the door, it is going to be a s#*% show. And we don't want that.
We want going back to school to be something enjoyable and as stress-free as possible. So do yourself a favor and start working on your back-to-school routine now.
Start with Bedtime
I like to start with the bedtime routine because it's the easiest. I start by comparing my current routine to the back-to-school routine, and assess any gaps to see what’s missing.
Our current bedtime routine looks like (if we’re lucky):
Bath
Brush teeth
Put on PJs
Read a couple stories
Off to bed
What’s missing? My kids aren't laying out their clothes for the next day and they're not helping me to prepare their bags.
So what I'm going to do starting this week is:
I'm going to have them start laying out their clothes for the next day, as well as start preparing their bags for camp.
I’m going to create a sticker chart that lists all of the new bedtime routine activities and they can put up a little sticker once they complete each one. That way, it's a nice visual and I can ensure that they understand what I expect out of them. It not only holds them accountable — it also holds me accountable. Plus, it gives them a reward and a sense of pride for completing these activities.
Move to Morning
After about a week of working on the bedtime routine, I want you to then start working on your back-to-school morning routine. The key here is to slowly reintroduce structure. Otherwise, if you try to change too many things all at once, it's going to be a huge shock to their little slacker systems.
We all know that the morning routine currently looks a lot different than how it’ll be once the kids are back to school. Use the same compare-to-find-the-gaps exercise here that you did with your bedtime routine.
Our current morning routine looks like:
My kids wake up whenever they want
They stroll downstairs in their PJs
Eat breakfast
Watch a couple shows
Get ready for the day
What’s missing? When we’re back to school, I want them to wake up at a specific time, get dressed, brush their teeth, then come downstairs and eat breakfast, put their shoes on, and then we’re out the door.
So what I'm going to do starting next week is:
I'm going to add the new morning routine to our sticker chart — again, so they have a visual for what I expect out of them, it keeps them accountable as well as keeps me accountable, and gives them a little incentive.
I'm also going to sweeten the pot by telling them that they cannot watch TV until all of their morning routine steps are completed so they have a motivator to help them follow through (and what better than TV?)
Phase Two: Adjust the Body Clock
This phase is all about shifting your children’s internal body clocks to get back on the school schedule. Just like the routine-comparison exercise, we want to determine and compare the difference in timing with the schedule.
Our current schedule looks like:
Bedtime: 8:30 PM
Wake-Up: 8:00 AM
What’s missing? I need them to wake up by 6:30 AM. That is a 1½ hour difference.
So, what I’m going to do is (and I want you to do the same):
For each half-hour that needs to be pushed earlier, give one week of implementing the schedule change.
Here’s what this looks like:
I know it’s not going to be fun for all parties involved (sorry kids!), but you're going to wake them up a half-hour earlier. Then, you’ll put them to bed a half-hour earlier, as well. Make sure to start the week by waking them up first a half-hour earlier, so that they're tired for bed that night a half-hour earlier.
Figure out how many weeks you will need to make the change. Each week = one 30 minute change. You want to set it up so that a full week before school, they're on the appropriate schedule. In my situation, I need to start making the adjustment four weeks early (30 minutes per week, plus one week of school schedule). That way, by the time they go back to school, they will have been on their new school schedule for a week and their body will be fully adjusted — and that's really going to cut down on crabbiness!
Just Do It
Now, I know the last thing you want to do during the last month of summer is to be more disciplined. I'm with you. But I'm going to do it anyway because I know it's going to pay off a thousandfold.
By implementing this back-to-school plan, I can feel confident knowing that when the first day of school arrives, my kids' routines will be second nature to them. For our house, that means there will be less nagging, we're going to get up out of the house more quickly, and it's going to be less stressful for everyone.
In addition, their body clocks are going to be adjusted, so they're going to have more focus when they go back to school, they're going to be able to cope with all the changes, and when they get home, there will be less meltdowns.
So trust me on this one, get ahead of the game. It is worth it.
When the Routine Just Isn’t Working...
I hope that this plan will help you feel prepared and ready to get your kids back in the school groove, whether that’s at home or in the classroom. If the routine just isn’t working, there's probably something else at play, and I can help you get to the bottom of it. I offer free 15 minute discovery calls that you can book here and we can talk through your kiddo’s sleep situation.
Sweet Dreams
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.
