It’s almost back-to-school time, and you’re probably filled with mixed emotions. Relief is usually right up there at the top, but there’s also probably some sadness in the mix about saying goodbye to those relaxed summer days. 

But no matter how much you and your kids might be looking forward to going back to school, there’s no denying that an organised approach will make all the difference when it comes to making a smooth transition. 

Here’s a guide for getting in the back-to-school groove with as little stress as possible.

1. Start moving back toward your ideal sleep schedule

In the summer, the long days may mean we sometimes don’t even sit down at the dinner table until long after the kids would be in bed if it were December – and those later bedtimes come with later wake times. How can you get your kids’ sleep back on track? There’s no way they’re going to suddenly start falling asleep two hours earlier, so you have to start slowly moving their bedtime forward. 

Figure out how many minutes past your target school bedtime they’ve been going to sleep lately, then divide this number by the number of days until school starts again. This will tell you how many minutes each day you should move bedtime forward to reach your goal.

For example, if your school-night bedtime is 60 minutes earlier than their present bedtime and school starts in 25 days, 60/25 is 2.4. This means you should try to get them to go to bed 2-3 minutes earlier than the night before each night until school starts. Of course, that’s a rough guideline rather than a hard-and-fast rule. The main thing to keep in mind is that the sooner you start, the easier it will be.

This also applies to wake up times, of course.

2. Batch cook a meal or two

Even if you feel like everything is pretty much under control right now, please do yourself a favour and batch cook a meal or two now while things are still relatively calm. Life has a way of spiralling out of control during those hectic first weeks at school, and your future self will thank you when you remember you have a few dinners ready to go in the freezer when things don’t go according to plan, or ready for those no-cook-days.

Whether you just double up on everything when you make tomorrow night’s dinner or you choose a batch-cooking-friendly meal like chili and make a triple batch with the intention of freezing all of it so you have three dinners on hand, you really can’t go wrong.

3. Prepare a meal plan 

You might have been able to just wing quite a few dinners this summer, stopping at the store on the way home from the beach to make something light after all that time in the sun or deciding at the last minute to meet up with friends for a pizza. But the return to school means it’s time to get serious and have more structure to our days, and one good systematic way of approaching dinner is with a meal plan.

Take some time now to prepare a weekly back-to-school meal plan or two that you can turn to when you’re in the thick of running around to school activities, last-minute supply shopping, and all the other unexpected ways we seem to get off-schedule as we adjust to the new school year. This will let you go into autopilot when you’re too exhausted to think clearly about meals for the week ahead. Just grab the grocery list from your meal plan and head to the store or order groceries online – no brainpower needed!

4. Make a lunch list

If you spend more time figuring out what to pack for your kids’ lunch than you do actually preparing it, there’s a simple way you can make your life easier well before the first day: set aside a few minutes now to dedicate to creating a lunch list.

Think of past lunches that your kids have enjoyed and brainstorm new ways to incorporate healthy foods you know they’ll eat, or look at lists online for inspiration. Then, make a list of lunches that they will enjoy and aren’t complicated. This will take all the guesswork and head-scratching out of your mornings. Whether you make a simple pen-and-paper list or enter it in a spreadsheet so you can search by ingredients you have on hand, your mornings will be way smoother when you can consult your go-to list.

4. Bring your calendar up-to-date

With the new term beginning, you may need to add in extra-curricular activities, as well as mark any upcoming school meetings and events. If you use your calendar like I do, it’s important that you move the days around for recurring to-dos such as meal planning, grocery shopping, laundry/cleaning days, and anything else according to your new schedule.

5. Design a morning routine

Yep, our morning routines may look a lot different for some of us. Our children’s too. It’s a good idea to get the kids involved so they’re the ones who’ve decided (to an extent 😉 ) what their morning routine will look like. Create a chart together to hang up in their bedroom, and laminate it so they can check things off every morning. Kids are great at checking things off – this really helps them be responsible and teaches them to be productive.

With these back-to-school tips, your family should be able to get through this transition with as little stress as possible – and you might just find that you have enough time to sit down and savour some quiet alone time!