At this time of year, parents across the country are packing up the school bags, prepping lunches, labelling uniforms and sending their little (and big) ones back through the school gates for another academic year.

Perhaps you’re reading this and breathing a sigh of relief after a summer of trying to balance life with your work, keeping little ones occupied and attending to those endless snack requests. Or perhaps you’re feeling emotional as the realisation hits that time is slipping past too quickly…both feelings can be true!

But no matter what our feelings are about the back to school rush, there’s no doubt that just like the beginning of the summer holidays, the transition to a new school year brings with it its own unique set of challenges. 

How can we make the back to school rush easier on everyone?

1. Acknowledge the difficulties

It doesn’t matter if this is your first ‘back to school’ rush or your tenth, the reality is that this is a really busy and stressful time. Objectively there’s a lot to organise. One of the biggest mistakes we might tell ourselves is that it ‘shouldn’t feel like this’ and we are somehow surprised when we feel stressed. There’s a lot of peace in acknowledging the difficulties and accepting things for what they are. Obviously we do what we can to ease those difficulties and try to be as organised as we can within our scope and life situation, but we shouldn’t be surprised by any discomfort. We’re not failing - it just is hard!

2. Keep the calendar free

Along with the new academic year, this is also the time of year that most extracurricular activities either start back or kick up a gear. These can be great things for our children and can help to instil routine and discipline. However it’s not surprising that after a summer of a relatively ‘freer’ schedule, the busyness can bring a lot of emotion so expect some big feelings: tiredness, nerves, anxiety, tantrums and push back.

It’s important to give everyone time to get into the new rhythm of the school year. Try to reset and rest as much as you can at weekends and it’s ok to say no to extra curricular activities if the timing isn’t right. Try not to compare yourself to others but rather do what’s right for your family, your lifestyle and your family values.

3. Create a routine

Having to create yet another routine might be the last thing on your mind but having a solid routine, where everyone knows what to expect and what’s expected of them, makes things so much easier on you and the children in the long run. And you’ll probably find it happens quite naturally anyway. Some practical things you can do include setting up designated zones for bags and shoes, for school communication and for school uniforms.

This may sound obvious but when your children come home from school, snacks are your best friend! Having a snack tray set up where they can help themselves can be a lifesaver and can help ease some of the big after school emotions. If they’re with a childminder or creche, it’s helpful to pack extra snacks they really love and give them a little checklist of things they can do to help ease the transition from school to home. Try to be your own future friend too by making meal plans so the stress of dinner doesn’t coincide with the stress of getting homework completed on time.

We’d love to hear your ideas. What suggestions do you have for the mums in the Hearts+Minds community? 

Wishing everyone a happy ‘back to school!”