Utah Mama

Time to Start the Back to School Transition

For our family, this is our last week of summer.  I’m tempted to fill up every night with all the things left on our summer bucket list, but I know better.  My kids don’t need more entertainment, but a gentle week of transition.  As I write this at 9:00 a.m., two of my four daughters are still sleeping.  Next week they need to be awake, fed, and wearing a cute first day of school outfit by now.  Unless we start preparing, this could be  rough.

Here is my transition from summer plan:

• Close up shop by 8:30 p.m. each night.  Even if they don’t fall asleep, at least they can start getting into the routine.
• Incentive breakfasts at 7:45 a.m.  Everyone up and even semi-ready gets pancakes.  You snooze, you get Wheat Chex.
• Start planning a week’s worth of outfits. For three months my girls have been wearing flip flops.  Do we have enough socks for a whole week of school?  What about hair accessories and something besides Old Navy t’s?  Not all of my kids will subscribe to this, but I love these felt outfit planners.  We hang an outfit for each day of the week, tucking underwear and socks in the open slits and attaching hair accessories on the side.  Wardrobe planning is reduced to a few minutes once a week.
• I’m also a big fan of back to school gifts. Not a big deal, but something to give them the night before to wish them luck and send our love.  Last year I gave this little “Luck” necklace to my seven year old.  In first grade she had  had a lot of tearful “I miss Mommy days.”  I told her that anytime she missed me, she could rub her little luck charm and feel my love and all the good luck she needs for a good year.  It worked.  For the first couple of months, she wore it everyday.
• Last year my husband made a “Good Morning Girls” CD and presented it as his back to school gift.  It was a playlist of lots of their favorite songs.  For the first few weeks, we played it as an alarm each morning.  They liked getting ready listening to Taylor Swift and High School Musical 3.

This time of year I like to pull out one of my favorite picture books, The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.  The mother and child in the story have mixed emotions about the start of school.  They say goodbye by kissing the palms of each others’ hands.  Their plan, if they start to feel lonely, is to put their palm to their cheek and remember they are loved.  At the end of the story, the child is fine.  It is the mother with her palm to her cheek.   It’s feels time for them to go back, but I’m going to miss them.  Seven hours is a long time.  My house will be cleaner and routines will be in place, but I’ll probably hold my hand to my cheek a few times.  Hopefully by planning ahead from home, I can at least get them off to a good start.