Top Ten Tips for Getting Back in the Swing of Things

1. Start with fresh lunches: Thoroughly wipe down the lunch bags with an antibacterial solution or purchase a new one. Remove the lids from water bottle, soak in dishwashing liquid and get into all of those small crevices with cotton swabs. If you can’t spend the time, spend the money on a new drinking container.
2. Update the calendar: Plug all of the school holidays, afterschool activities and special school events into your family calendar. Having this information at your fingertips will be valuable once the hustle and bustle begins.
3. Stock the pantry: Make sure to have plenty juice boxes, peanut butter, granola bars, jelly, tuna fish, canned soups and other convenient items on hand so that packing lunch is quick and seamless even if you’re having a slow moving morning.
4. Create some space: Clear off a desk or table and designate the area to schoolwork. Ideally, this is a quiet spot in your home, where you or another guardian can watch your child work and help out as needed.
5. Freeze for the future: Prepare a few casseroles or stews and freeze them for those busy weeknights ahead. Both reheat easily and will be a welcomed respite once the school schedule is in full swing.
6. Bring back bedtime: Enforcing an early bedtime is never top priority on summer vacation. When the kids need to wake up to catch the school bus, it’s an entirely different story. Start getting the kids back on schedule by gradually setting bedtimes earlier and earlier as the summer comes to a close.
7. Fill out those forms: Whether it’s medical forms for your new kindergartener or PTA membership for the 5th year in a row, there’s no reason to wait until the deadline. Clear off the stack of papers that’s cluttering your desk and you’ll set a good example for your kids.
8. Name the clothes: Save your kid’s favorite clothes from the lost and found by labeling all of their jackets, backpacks, books and lunch bags. Write full names on the interior of items and use initials when monogramming the outside of bags or backpacks.
9. Buy their supplies: Every grade requires something new. From crayons and paste to protractors and graph paper, your new teacher or school secretary will most likely help you choose this year’s purchases with a list appropriate for your grade. While shopping for your children, consider picking up a few extra supplies to keep their classrooms well- stocked throughout the year.
10. Dine while you still have time: Sit down at the dinner table with the whole family, rather than rushing through your meal. Talk to the kids about their favorite events of the season, the friends they made at camp and their thoughts on the upcoming school year. When you’re shuttling from one afterschool activity to another, this bonding time is certain to be one of the summer’s best memories.