New School Year, New Routine

School is starting back up for most kids and teens. Where does the time go?? With all the stress of school supplies, packing lunches, new school clothes, and new sports and clubs there is a lot going on! It can help to think about what worked well last school year with certain routines (i.e., morning, afterschool, nighttime). Also, consider what didn’t work. 

Here is a simple list of recommendations that might help you incorporate something new and helpful into the new school year routine. We know each child has different needs, so feel free to adjust the list and specific tools for your family!

Routine Routine Routine

Some kids really benefit from a set routine, something predictable. If you and your kid(s) can discuss a steady schedule from “wake up” to “leave the house”, this can help them figure out how much time they can spend on each of their to-do’s while getting ready. Get your child/teen’s input on what they want to do, the order of it, and try to finalize a routine that matches their interests while standing firm on certain expectations/rules you want to hold. Write out step-by-step plans as needed to help them follow through, such as:

1. 6 AM: First alarm 

2. 6:10 AM: Second alarm 

3. 6:15 AM: Shower/brush teeth

4. 6:35 AM: Get dressed. Clothing left out the night before.

5. 6:45 AM: Cook breakfast and pack lunch.

6. 6:55 AM: Eat breakfast.

7. 7 AM: Pack backpack.

8. 7:30 AM: Leave for school

If you have tried routines and they haven’t worked for your family, some kids, especially kids with ADHD, just don’t benefit from a rigid schedule. Some kids need lots of reminders. For those kids, physical reminders could work, like sticky notes on mirrors, light switches and doors. Digital reminders can be helpful too. Like phone alarms or amazon echo or alexa. This can be frustrating if you are trying to get yourself ready or younger ones ready, but try to remember that kids with adhd already know their “weak spots” and are probably hard on themselves internally. 

Decide what things are essential in the home

For example:

1. Time together as a family

2. walks/physical activity

3. Screen or screen free time

4. Chores 

5. Homework (for some kids, their after school schedule is busy, so you’ll have to adjust when the homework gets done)

6. Have your child/teen be responsible for certain tasks that they are capable of doing themselves such as packing or helping pack their lunch, filling and packing their water bottle, and charging their devices.

7. It is important that they have tools such as a checklist, smart device reminders, or other strategies available as part of a concrete plan so they can be successful. Kids may need extra help at first getting into a routine with doing these things and extra oversight especially initially may be necessary as a backup.

What’s for dinner?

Take time to plan meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each week as a family. This responsibility usually falls on either the mom or the parents. Giving the kids the opportunity to have input can take some stress off the parents and also give the kid a sense of importance in the family. 

Share schedules

Develop or use a good way to share everyone’s schedule. Apple or Google calendars might work well so everyone can remember soccer practices, after school clubs, work meetings, and tests. Or using a whiteboard calendar in a central location in the home that is color coded for each family member could be helpful.

Create a space

Help your child/teen set up and organize a designated workspace for doing homework and projects. Having an environment specifically for working can help get them in a headspace to reach their goals. If they have trouble sitting still while working, they could try:

1. Walking pad at their desk

2. Yoga ball or wobble chair

3. Standing desk

4. Frequent breaks

This list is not exhaustive, but hopefully it will be helpful in getting your family prepared for the new school year!

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