It’s crunch time for many families. The honeymoon of returning to school and seeing friends who haven’t been around over the summer is over. The new notebooks have their first crossings out, the new homework schedule has already caused some tears or temper-tantrums.
5 top tips for getting over the back to school hump
Night time routines
Setting out clothes for the next day, taking a bath, brushing teeth and getting into bed for a story can be underrated. A good night’s sleep is vital to good performance the next day. But it’s also a structure that leads seamlessly and inevitably to the next day’s events. Agreeing a routine with your nanny ensures that the children start to understand that life has changed. Again! Also that they need to stop complaining and start enjoying the simple pleasures of the evening routine. Consistency here will normally deliver happier, more relaxed children within a fortnight. Three weeks at the most. So not giving in to nagging about staying up late is crucial.
Forward planning
Over the summer it’s been easier to be relaxed about deadlines and plans. Now somebody needs to check the calendar for school trips or library visits and for ingredients needed for dinner or the next day’s lunches. Share those chores out with your nanny and ensure each of you knows what the other is going to take care of. Look out for nights when you’ll be working late and make sure Nanny and kids both know that you won’t be around. This prevents any melt-downs if/when you’re not home for bedtime or any other event.
Morning mayhem
To avoid morning problems, get the kids up 15 minutes earlier than necessary for the first couple of weeks. Once they’ve got back into the routine you can let them sleep in a little longer. It’s important not to underestimate how long it takes for children to adjust to a structured morning. A couple of tips from our experienced nanny candidates.
- Have a morning story that’s absolutely thrilling and read a page over breakfast every day. It’s a great way to get kids to see some value to breakfast time.
- In one family, first kid to the table gets to choose the breakfast juice or cereal. While that doesn’t incentivise a lazy child, it can be a real self-starting motivator for a child with strong food likes or dislikes.
After-school cool-down
Kids come out of school hot and exhausted and it’s not a good combination. When they get home it’s good to get them to change their clothes, have a drink and eat a healthy snack. All of which create a good transition between school and home and allow children to re hydrate and refuel before whatever comes next which. For older children – will be homework.
Take a break
Between homework sessions it’s good to have a brief break where a bit of fun goes on. In one of our families, nanny encourages the children to do a little yoga between homework subjects. In another everybody gets a throw on the board game of the week (nanny has a fridge chart to keep track of the throws and points). Another where a bilingual nanny is a vital component of the family routine, the whole family changes from English to the second language until the break is over. These are ways that help kids recharge their batteries without distracting them from the homework itself.