Back to School: Tips for a Smooth Transition

While the weather may still feel like summer, for many central Indiana students, it’s time to go back to school.  Some local schools start in late July, others in early August.  Either way, it won’t be long until everyone will be catching the bus for a daily dose of education.  A return to school requires an adjustment on the part of both kids and parents.  Here are a few tips to make the transition a smooth one.

Get on a Schedule

Those lazy days of sleeping in, lounging around, going to the pool, and spending time with friends are gone (or soon to be gone).  Replacing them are busy days of strict schedules, homework, music lessons, games, practices, and volunteer commitments.  Busy times demand a system for managing your time.  Without it, you will feel frazzled and unable to cope.  Additionally, some commitments will probably be forgotten or short-changed.  Devise a schedule that makes sense and then stick to it.

Clarify Priorities

As you work on a schedule, you may start to see that you and your family have more commitments than you have time for.  At this point, you have a choice; you can try to cram it all in or you can cut some activities out.  Under most circumstances, the second option is the better one.  You and your family will be happier with a little margin in your life.  This can be hard to do, but it will be worth it.  Keep those activities that are truly important to your family and get rid of those that aren’t really a priority.

Stay on Top of Ongoing Chores

Even if you get your schedule pared down, there is just a lot to do.  There are many supporting and household management activities that need to be taken care of.  Parents are flooded with papers from school, laundry that must be washed, and meals to prepare.  On top of all this, the house can get messy in a hurry.  It is imperative that you don’t get behind on these ongoing chores.  All these tasks pile up when left undone.  Try to end each day with a clean slate so that you can have a fresh start to the next day.

Benefit from Teamwork

Getting back to school gives you a new opportunity to look at where you could use some help from others in your household.  As kids start a new year of school, teachers will have increasing expectations for them in light of their growing maturity.  You can do the same at home.  Enlist family members to help out with necessary chores and to look for ways that they can help each other.  You might also ask whether your family could benefit from carpooling with close neighbors or trading favors with friends for mutual benefit.

Practice Patience

Finally, the transition back to school will not be without bumps along the road.  There will be trials and there may be tears.  Having patience with one another is a necessity.  Kids who are under the stress of a new school situation need parents to be understanding.  Parents can also remind students that adults experience stress with change too.  By demonstrating patience and compassion, family members can ease the transition.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas for making the transition back to school a smooth one for you and your family.  Now as for getting your house ready for the school routine, that’s another subject altogether.  We will tackle that one in our next blog, but for now just remember that there are lots of ways that Langenwalter can help.  From cleaning your carpets to returning the shine to your tile and wood flooring, we have the expertise and experience to get your home clean and ready for whatever the school year brings.  Visit our website to see our current valuable coupon or call us at 317-876-9944 to schedule today.