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Last Updated: Jun 29th, 2008 - 19:59:12 |
Help Your Kids Get Off to a Great Start
By Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes
Sep 16, 2007, 22:56
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Lessons I have learned.
Lessons I have learned.
Fall--a new chapter begins. Our routines change from the unstructured, carefree days of summer to the daily routine of school. After 3 months of leisure, it's time to get organized. We pencil in soccer practices and music lessons on the calendar and we know it will take an extra 1/2 hour to get out the door in the morning. But it feels good. It's a fresh start, a new beginning.
My kids were always excited about the first day of school. Armed with new clothes, fresh pencils, and a new lunchbox, they were bursting with excitement, eager to see their friends and to meet new teachers.
But there was often anxiety on the first day, as well. I remember my fourth grader in tears, because she simply could not wear a dress that made her look like "toast." Toast? How can a dress make you look like toast? It was hard to console her. It made no sense. And, we were rushing. I knew we would be late if we didn't leave in the next 10 minutes.
She finally gestured with her fingers, drawing in the air a slice of bread with a "bump" at the top, like a classic piece of toast. She was trying to tell me the dress stuck out at her hips. The situation was then quickly remedied when she switched to a pair of jeans. (Since then, I have often used the "toast" standard in department store dressing rooms when evaluating how a skirt looks.)
Another day, she declared she looked like a trout. Hmmm, my mind raced as I tried to figure out how the brightly colored pants she had on looked like a fish. By now I was getting better at this. Rainbow trout. Rainbow colors. Too bright. She had to change.
To avoid a crisis, we soon learned it was better to lay clothes out the night before. Getting organized seemed to help all of our moods and ease the morning madness. Here are my tips for a successful morning routine:
1. Get organized the night before.
Lay clothes out and have your child pack her backpack.
2. Create a system for organizing books and homework. Have separate brightly colored folders for homework, teachers' notes, etc. Place things in the same place every day. Homework goes inside the red folder. Back pack goes by the front door.
3. Have a morning check list. Include basics things to remember:
Homework
Backpack
Lunch
Soccer uniform on Wednesday
4. Hang a large calendar on the refrigerator. Mark school events, sports activities, and play dates. Assign a different color to each family member. Color code the activities and be sure to keep it up to date.
5. Make sure everyone gets up in the morning in plenty of time to dress and eat a healthy breakfast.
6. Stick with a routine. Do things in the same order every morning so kids know what to expect--brush teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, make lunch.
7. Create good habits. Once kids are back in their daily routines, things will become easier. Keep up the good work, have a great year, and don't forget to take pictures on the first day of school.
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About
the Author(s) : Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes are the co-authors of the award winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out their website that's jam packed with family ideas, visit www.togetherparenting.com
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