5 Back-to-School Tips for parents and kidsHeading back to school brings with it good and bad: The sad end of a carefree summer, but the return to a daily routine full of socializing, learning and fun. To help you and your kids adjust to the back-to-school world, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 Back-to-School Tips for Parents AND Kids for you to print out and pin (you do have a Pinterest account, right?) for reference:

1. Establish a morning routine

Dreading racing around in the morning, packing lunches, getting dressed, filling backpacks and getting the kids out the door on time? Yeah, we know. Time doesn’t seem to matter much to little ones, but routines help kids know what is expected — and will certainly make the morning run more smoothly. So, create your own morning routine — before school starts up again.

Now, we’re not saying you have to spend the last days of summer vacation waking up and hustling at 6 a.m. Rather, start your wakeups a little bit earlier each day. Whether you set an alarm or are just early risers (lucky you!), don’t lollygag around in the morning. Wake up, shower if needed, get dressed and have breakfast just like you would on a school day. That way, when it’s time for school your kids will already be in the habit of MOVING in the morning. Hopefully.

2. Establish a nighttime routine

In many ways, having a nightly and bedtime routine — for YOU as well as your kids will make for an even easier morning. It’s true! We know you’re pressed for time and getting ready for the next day is the last thing you want to do before you relax at night after a long day of work and driving the kids around. But if you take a few minutes to get everything situated, you’ll save yourself from scrambling — especially if you’re already running behind for one of a million reasons.

Have homework done, permission slips signed and put into backpacks before bed. Then, have your children shower, read a book and be tucked in by the same time every night. A good night’s sleep makes for an easier wake-up!

Now for prepping. First, make sure the kids are set for the morning. That means picking out outfits (or letting them pick). Spare no detail: include socks, shoes, hair accessories, etc. or at least have everything ready to go for packing. And the backpacks are already packed, right?

And for you: Make sure YOU have your outfit all picked out, cleaned and ironed, too. It’s hard enough to get the kids moving and ready in the morning without having to worry about getting yourself ready, too. Set your alarm and allow yourself enough time to primp before you’re rounding up the little ones. Then head to bed. Don’t forget, a good night’s sleep helps YOU, too!

3. Plan ahead for after-school activities

Back-to-school is the perfect time to sign up for swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School. We teach kids ages 4 months and older basic swim strokes, water safety, advanced swim strokes — and we have FUN while we’re doing it!

And, since Goldfish Swim School offers swim lessons in the evenings and on the weekends year-round, your kids can look forward to school because that means they’ll be jumping in the pool at the end of the day!

Already enrolled at Goldfish Swim School? Great! Back-to-school is a great reason to stay with those lessons (just like staying with summer lessons). Why? Kids love routine. But even more, they LOVE swimming at Goldfish Swim School! It’s a great way to celebrate their hard work at school and help them perfect those swim strokes at the same time.

4. Get organized with school supplies

Don’t wait until the last minute to make sure your kids have backpacks, lunchboxes, pens, notebooks and clothes (and shoes) they’ll need for school. Color code the items for each person or subject — and designate a spot to put all school supplies. Find somewhere to leave backpacks or homework that isn’t going to create clutter. Maybe create a homework station if you don’t have desks, so your students know ahead of time where they will be working and keeping supplies. That way, things won’t get lost and the homework hour won’t drag on because that favorite pencil has gone missing.

And, especially if you have little ones, consider putting labels on their stuff. Not only will this help in school to locate any lost items, if you have more than one child, it will also help at home to prevent squabbles over a notebook.

5. TALK excitedly about school

If you’re dreading the hustle-and-bustle of getting up early to round up the kids and get them out the door, they’ll pick up on that and dread the days, too. Instead, focus on what exciting new things are in store this year.

New school? Wonder out loud about all the cool new things they’ll do and the after-school activities they’ll offer. Same school? Talk about the new teacher and all the new things they’ll learn this year — and ask what they’re most excited about discovering. Guess about the new friends they’ll make and all the fun things to do with those friends this year.

Help get your kids excited for the new school year and continue that enthusiasm all year long. It’ll be contagious!

Goldfish Swim School

At Goldfish Swim School, we’re all about giving your kids a golden experience while teaching them to swim — and producing extraordinary results.. We do this by using integrity, compassion and trust to provide WOW customer service! Find a location near you and give us a call to learn about all we can offer your young swimmer!

What’s the best back-to-school tip you’ve learned over the years?

Stay tuned: We’ll have more tips for you on how to enjoy your fall season on our next blog!