{"id":4608,"date":"2024-08-01T16:54:39","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T23:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=4608"},"modified":"2024-11-22T10:40:45","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T18:40:45","slug":"back-to-school-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/back-to-school-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Beating the Back to School Blues\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer break can be wonderful <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> exhausting! So many wonderful memories are created when your kids head off on vacation, go to camp, or just enjoy long days playing outside, sleeping late and spending extra time with their families. But it can be a rough adjustment when it is time for them to head back to school at the end of summer. Planning ahead can make this transition smoother. <\/span><\/p>\n

Try these ideas to ease your children back into to the school routine:<\/span> \u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Ease back into the school sleep schedule.<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many families\u2019 sleep schedules (mine included) get thrown off during summer. Lighter evenings and consistently later bedtimes \/wake ups can shift your child\u2019s \u201ccircadian rhythm\u201d (natural sleep cycle) later, making it hard to get them up and out of bed the first morning of school, no matter how excited they might be.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year we were able to reserve a hard-to-find campsite at a national park, but it happened to be the weekend leading up to the first day of school. Kids inevitably stayed up late and were out of their \u2018groove\u2019 when we got home. The tradeoff was as I expected \u2013 amazing trip and family memories, but getting them up and out the door the first week of school was extra tough. This year, we planned vacation timing earlier in the summer.\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sleep specialists note that it can take a week to shift a sleep schedule forward even by an hour. Starting more than 1 week before school, start moving your child\u2019s bedtime and wake times forward by 15-30 minutes every 1-2 days. Doing the math, many kids (especially teens) may require a few weeks to get back on schedule! <\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, put screens away an hour before bedtime and leave screens out of bedrooms. In the mornings, turn on lights and open blinds for natural sunlight exposure \u2013 all of these will help shift your child\u2019s circadian rhythm to fit better with school start times by day 1.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a (official or unofficial) school tour.<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For kids starting at a new school, especially one where they may have to find multiple classrooms throughout the day, walking the campus before the first day can be helpful. Many schools offer a transfer or orientation night so kids can get familiar with the school\u2019s layout. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If the school campus is open outside school hours, go with your child to map out their classrooms, lunchroom, locker location (and how to open it!), etc. prior to the first day so they know what to expect and help ease those first day \u201cjitters\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To plan for the morning commute, take a \u201ctest drive\u201d (or test walk\/bike<\/a>) to school or the bus stop to see how long it takes without traffic. Then factor in morning traffic and plan to allow extra time at the beginning.<\/p>\n

Get school supplies ready to go<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mentally, this always starts my kids\u2019 transition to the next academic year. Filling their backpacks with fresh notebooks, pens, and pencils (and clearing out anything left over from last year!) can spark the return-to-school mindset for parents and kids alike. Many kids love to pick out a special outfit to wear on the first day. It\u2019s also helpful to get their desk area cleared and ready for the new year to come.<\/p>\n

Parents need to get \u201cready\u201d for the school year too.<\/span><\/b>\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Preparing myself for the emotional ups and downs of any big transition for my kids is important. Finding ways to do self-care \u2013 with even just pausing for a few deep breaths \u2013 can help ease this transition as a parent too. It can be a great time to \u201creset\u201d your own sleep schedule as a parent when the kids head back to school too!\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Celebrating back-to-school time can be great way to savor some special moments with your kids. Even though I now get eyerolls when I insist on taking \u201cfirst day of school\u201d photos, my kids enjoy looking back at how much they\u2019ve grown and changed through the years.<\/p>\n

Resources for Parents:\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

American Academy of Pediatrics<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

5 Ways to Help Your Kids Have a Healthy School Year<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Planning ahead can make the transition from summer fun back to school easier on everyone – kids and parents alike!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4609,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[283,422,423,177],"class_list":["post-4608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-school","tag-back-to-school","tag-back-to-school-jitters","tag-preparing-kids-for-back-to-school","tag-school-lunch","ages-all-school-ages"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1732300846:6"],"_edit_last":["6"],"_thumbnail_id":["4609"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"slide_template":[""],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["86"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["293"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"\"]"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["3"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""],"post_featured_author_bio":["Dr. Lindsay Frost's biography reads: I joined the pediatrics team at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento in 2018 to help kids thrive. During my medical training, I pursued a Masters degree in public health and health promotion. I enjoy being able to foster long-term relationships with patients and their families, providing care in both health and illness as children grow. Some of my most relevant experiences as a pediatrician have come from my two children, who have \u201ctrained\u201d me first-hand on the challenges of parenthood. \nRead more at {{https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/providers\/lindsayfrost}}"],"post_featured_author_bio_link":["https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/providers\/lindsayfrost"],"post_featured_author_image":["https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Lindsay-Frost.png"],"post_featured_author_role":["YES"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["ease your children back to the school routine: \u202f\u00a0"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["Planning ahead can make the transition from summer fun back to school easier on everyone - kids and parents alike!"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["63"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["60"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1732300846"],"wpfp_favorites":["243"],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4608"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4739,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4608\/revisions\/4739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}