Surviving the First Week Back to School: 5 Tips for Sanity

We spent the last few weeks sharing tips and tricks with you all on how to prep your kids and your family for the “Back to School” season. And now the time has come, all schools have started the 2023/24 school year!

The first couple of weeks often feels like being thrown into the deep end. New teachers, changing schedules, and waking up early combine for major upheaval. As parents, we dread the meltdowns, missed assignments, and just overall MADNESS.

But take a deep breath – you’ve got this! With just a few survival strategies, you can conquer the craziness and minimize the stress.

Here are 5 tips for keeping calm and getting through these critical first few weeks:

👉 Make mornings madness-free.

Avoid the snooze button brawl by having backpacks, tech devices, clothes, and lunches packed and ready to grab the night before. Set up assembly line stations for each child to smoothly assemble their school necessities.

👉Become a scheduling wizard.

Plot all the important dates for your kids on a master family calendar – first days, curriculum nights, picture days, tryouts. Coordinate transportation, divide parent drop-offs and pick-ups, and share the calendar so everyone is on the same page. Color coding is recommended and make sure it’s visible to everyone in the family (perfect place: the fridge!)

👉 Establish an after-school chill zone.

Set up a dedicated homework and relaxation nook with comfy seating and supplies. A beanbag chair, their favorite blanket or stuffy. Whatever makes your kid comfortable. Agree on a time your child gets to wind down and relax after school so they are not thrown into the next thing right away.

👉 Talk it out daily.

Do an evening feelings check-in. Celebrate your child’s favorite part of the day, then move on to any issues at school, with friends, or frustrations with teachers. Don’t tell them “it’s not a big issue”, let them talk, listen and take their problems seriously! Just give them space and allow them to share their thoughts and feelings.

👉 Plan a fun weekend reward.

Get your family together and plan a family outing to celebrate the start of school. Choose whatever floats your (and their!) boat: pizza and movie night, trip to the arcade, or a bike ride to an ice cream shop. Then post the countdown on the fridge (yup, your fridge might get pretty packed with lots of fun and useful stuff …!).

With preparation and teamwork (DON’T do/plan/organize it ALONE, get everyone involved!), you and your kiddos can rock the first few weeks back to the classroom. And remember to have grace for yourself as you adjust to the new back-to-school groove! You’ve got this.