Before and After School Routine Tips
We can all agree that these days our lives are very busy with careers, kids, hobbies and lifestyles in general. Then besides kids’ school, there are numerous activities they attend. The busyness of it all never stops, even on the weekends.
Unfortunately, a busy lifestyle can also bring unwanted stress. In this article, we wanted to share tips for before and after school routines to help ease the load with kids and make everyone’s life a little bit easier.
A healthy family routine will not just release some unwanted pressure but help with setting great habits for the kids for their future.
Although we compiled some great family routine suggestions (which came from real families), the key is to find your own routine and what suits your family. Try a few and stick to the ways that work for your family instead of following something that isn’t working for you. Each family is unique!
Before School Routine Tips:
Plan tomorrow the night before. Sit down and list things to be done, prioritise and prepare for the day. The clearer plan you have in your mind, the easier it is on you and other family members.
Decide when your child needs to get up (which in turn will decide what time your child should go to bed the night before). Kids should get around 9 to 10 hours of sleep as a minimum. Make sure to set the alarm clock and let the child know what time they will be expected to wake up.
Buy an alarm clock for your child. Them having their own clock can teach a valuable lesson about responsibility.
Once your child is in bed and the lights are dimmed, it’s the best time to talk about the day ahead and whether any activities or appointments are happening, but also explain how the child can help in the morning to contribute to the family’s morning routine and make it easier.
Have a good “before-bed” routine: bath/wash, brush teeth, put pyjama on, story. Make it a regular occurrence every night to provide a sense of consistency to kids.
Ensure your kids have enough sleep every night. This is extremely important not just for their growing bodies and development but also to give them the best chance to learn well the next day.
Ask your child to choose and prepare their clothing and pack their school bag for the next day. This will ensure they get ready faster in the morning.
It might sound like a silly idea, but setting the table up for the next morning’s breakfast can save you lots of precious time in the morning. Set the plates and cups up and anything else that can stay on the table overnight.
Ensure your kids eat a nutritious and healthy breakfast to fuel them for the day ahead. Try and avoid processed sugar like sweetened cornflakes and include sugar-free muesli and wholemeal toast instead.
Prepare kids’ lunches the night before. Depending on what it is, you can prepare the whole meal or part of it and put it in the fridge.
After-School Routine Tips:
Unpack the bags as soon as the kids get in the door. Take things from today’s school day and lunch boxes out and (depending on kids’ ages) get them to wash lunch boxes.
Have a snack after school, sit down somewhere nice and quiet, and talk about the day and what the kids did at school. This is the best time to connect, unwind and spend meaningful time together.
Set the time for homework and make it the same every day. Usually, it’s an hour (or longer, depending on the age) before or after dinner.