Ask Sarah: Preparing for Back-to-School Routines

Struggling with tantrums, bedtime boundaries, or simply wondering how to raise happy, confident kids? Sarah Rosensweet offers peaceful parenting advice to help families find balance.

Have a question for Sarah? Send us an email at editors@todaysparent.com.

Q: I'm already starting to worry about going back to school, back to routine and getting my four and two-year-old prepared for the drastic changes. What can I do now well in advance of Sept?

A: There are two schools of thought on this one!

Some families find it works better to work your way back to your routine gradually. For example, if bedtime has gotten later than what it needs to be when school starts, you can gradually adjust bedtimes and wakeups by 15 minutes over the course of the next few weeks.

Others (this was me!) prefer to rip that bandage off all at once when school starts. My kids were tired for a few days but generally adjusted pretty well.

Only you know your kids and know what will work best for your family. There is no “right” way.

Spend a little time thinking about how your kids respond to change and decide which approach is best. If it’s the former, brainstorm as many ways as you can think of to slowly shift them back into what your routine will look like in September. If it’s the latter, enjoy the rest of your summer and don’t plan anything extra for those few days after school starts and you’re all adjusting to the drastic change in your routine.

Good luck!

Need support with other parenting challenges? Our Ask Sarah series covers topics like how to help with anxiety and build confidence, how to banish food battles and how to stop sibling fights.

Author:

Sarah Rosensweet is a certified peaceful parenting coach, speaker, and educator. She lives in Toronto with her husband and her 15 and 18-year-old kids. Her 22-year-old son has launched.

Peaceful parenting is a non-punitive, connection-based approach that uses firm limits with lots of empathy. Sarah works one-on-one virtually with parents all over the world to help them go from frustrated and overwhelmed to “we’ve got this!”

Sarah offers a free course, How To Stop Yelling At Your Kids, so that you can be the parent you want to be. Read more at: www.sarahrosensweet.com  or listen to her top-rated parenting podcast, The Peaceful Parenting Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts!