Water Cooler: Getting the family ready for back to school
With the school year around the corner in Spokane, it’s time to start preparing and make sure the year gets off to a good start. A little easier said than done when it comes navigating remote learning, but there are still a few things students and families can do to ready themselves for the 2020-21 school year.
Design a morning schedule. Although a class structure may offer some guidelines, it’s a good idea to craft a morning schedule for the whole family so everyone is on the same page about how to start the day. Making the morning an intentional time with an established routine will not only take the work out of mornings, but will help set a positive and organized tone for the day. Routines are your friends. Doing the same thing every morning helps your mind remember a chain of events, instead of having to individually think about each action.
For example, say the four things you want to achieve each morning are to shower, eat breakfast, get dressed and brush your teeth. Each day those task could all be done in a different order, meaning you have to remember each one and decide when to execute it. If instead you have a routine of showering, getting dressed, eating breakfast and then brushing your teeth every day, each event triggers the next one. After a few weeks, you won’t even have to think about what you’re doing. Similar to having the same drive to work every day. Your brain is able to go on autopilot because you know the route so well. Allowing your brain to autopilot some of the morning’s monotonous tasks allows you to begin a productive day without expending much brain or will power, saving the rest for school and work. It also helps mentally flip the switch from resting to starting the day, gearing you up emotionally and psychologically to face the day ahead.
Design an after-school schedule and bedtime routine. This is for all of the same reasons mentioned above, but the evenings present an even larger challenge. The default after a long day is to relax and rejuvenate. Rest time is an important part of the schedule, but how much and what kind is warranted? Making an after-school schedule together as a family will help everyone agree to the same guidelines, helping to avoid arguments about screen and play time down the road. How much time a night does your family want to spend on things like homework, chores, family time, alone or play time? This will also help students focus on goals outside of the classroom, like recreational reading, practicing an instrument or athletic performance in their sport. Setting and keeping a bed time also helps everyone stay on a regular sleep and wake schedule, further strengthening the overall routine of the day.
Eat a low-sugar breakfast. Cereals, granola bars, prepacked yogurts and pancakes are all tasty, but they’re also loaded with sugar. Having a lot of sugar first thing in the morning will send you off with an energy high, but it will leave you with an energy crash shortly after. Choose foods with complex carbohydrates, fats and proteins that break down slowly over the course of the day, giving you sustained energy. Complex carbohydrates include vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Fats and proteins can be found in beans and legumes, nuts, eggs and meats, as well as in varying amounts in fruits and vegetables, like avocados, broccoli or asparagus.
Set out clothes the night before. Not only does this help take away some of the stress of the morning, it also helps prevent the classic quarantine trap of staying in comfy clothes all day. Wearing dedicated school clothes is also another way to help kids and adults mentally shift from lounging at home to “going” to school, even if they are still at the house.
Remember to stock up on supplies. Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you have everything you might need. Getting all the supplies you need will help prevent last-minute trips to the store in the middle of the school day.