4 Tips for Getting Kids Back into Their Routines after Vacation

School breaks and vacations are necessary and fun, but it’s not easy to get everyone back into the swing of things. Getting a school full of children with post-vacation blues to return to their regimen is tough, and the key to making the transition simple is working with parents to get kids on track.

Here are some suggestions you can share with families to make the segue from vacation easier on kids, parents, and staff:

1. Keep sleep schedules as regular as possible

It’s almost inevitable that sleep schedules are going to get messed up when kids are on vacation. But even if parents aren’t able to maintain the same sleep/wake schedule, it helps if they can maintain the same amount of sleep their kids get at night. Drastic changes to sleep schedules can wreak havoc on a child’s circadian rhythm and make them sleepy throughout the day.

If children have been off for more than a week or two, it’s good to get them back on their school sleep schedule a few days before they’re scheduled to return to school.

2. Be careful with constant snacking

While they’re at school, kids have a pretty regular eating schedule. When they’re home for an extended period of time, it’s easy for them to fall into a habit of constantly grazing. This can have the same negative impact that a new sleeping schedule has, especially if they’re snacking on junk food. When kids are reintroduced to a school schedule, their bodies start looking for the sugar and fat fix that they’ve grown accustomed to over the break.

Parents can make sure there are plenty of healthy snack options and get back on a regular eating schedule a couple days before heading back to school.

3. Get organized ahead of time

There’s nothing that kills the first day back like last-minute panic. If teachers and parents aren’t prepared for school to start up again, kids will feel that tension. At least a day in advance, everyone should have everything ready to go. For parents, this means clothes laid out, lunches prepared, money set aside for fees (expected and unexpected), homework done, and backpacks loaded up.

The goal is to make that back-to-school morning as carefree as possible. If parents can let kids know ahead of time what needs to happen so that everyone can make it out the door on time, it makes the whole process easier.

4. Set up a homework schedule

Getting kids acclimated to school again doesn’t happen immediately. You need a strategy to keep everyone on track. Another way that parents can help is by establishing a homework schedule. After time off, kids have shifted back into seeing their time at home as “free time.” This can make it hard for them to knuckle down when they have regular homework again.

If parents can set or reestablish rules about when and how homework will be done, it will help kids make that back-to-school transition.

An App Makes It 100x Easier

Getting children ready to go back to school after a prolonged absence isn’t impossible. But if your school has its own custom app experience, it makes the whole process less painful.

Everything runs more smoothly when parents can instantly find important information and access the school calendar, make quick payments for hot-lunch programs, gear, or tuition, and receive reminders through push notifications.