School Day Routines

Aah, back to school. Time to bid farewell to the steamy days of summer and all that may have come with it -- building sand castles, wild sprints to the ice cream truck, chasing lightning bugs, and just finding a little time to let go and relax. Summer is all about trading in your normal routine for a different, hopefully calmer, pace. And we at Savvy hope that you fully enjoyed some down time with your families this summer. But now that school is in session, it is time to establish (or reestablish) a family routine. In fact, every family needs routines. Routines help to organize life and keep it from becoming too chaotic. And research shows that children do best when routines are regular, predictable, and consistent. The challenge, of course, is to establish a routine that is a compromise between too much structure and order and the chaos that can occur as families try to juggle work, school, play, activities, and everything in between.

The beginning of a school year can be a particularly challenging time for establishing a routine. All of the new factors in your child's life can turn even the best-laid plans upside down. Are you struggling to get your child to school on time? Is your little one coming home completely exhausted or totally wired from the stimulation of school? Here are some tips to help you keep your family running like a well-oiled machine.

Mornings.

• Keep wake-up routines cheerful and positive.
• Make breakfast short and sweet - well not too sweet. You probably won't have time for an extended negotiation with your three year old about what she will or won't eat. Until you get your routine down pat, focus on their favorites so that you know that they will eat something before they get to school. You can make almost any breakfast nutritious - throw in some fruit or yogurt and your child will be off and running.
• Finally, round out each morning by saying goodbye to your youngster. A simple hug and a wave as she heads out the front door or slides out of the car are extremely important. They help to start the day off on a positive note.

Afternoons and Evenings.

• If your preschooler still naps, then by all means, encourage her to keep doing so. If your child has stopped napping, encourage some quiet time in the afternoons. School can be extremely stimulating for children. Their little minds and bodies need time to rest, even if rest time does not turn into nap time.
• Try to eat dinner together as much as possible. Your child may not be able to recount the details of her day, but dining together provides a wonderful opportunity for families to check in with each other and share the ups and downs of the day.

Nights. Make sure that your child gets a good night's sleep. The American Association of Pediatrics recommends 10-12 hours per day for the average preschooler. But summer's longer days often bring later bed times. And while flexibility may work well during the summer, now that your little one has to be up bright and early for school, an earlier bedtime is helpful, if not essential, to getting your child off to school well-rested and on time. To promote a healthy sleep schedule, consider the following:

• Maintain a regular bedtime. A consistent bedtime makes it easier to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning.
• Establish a sleep routine. Dinner, bath, story time - whatever the schedule or order, try to keep it the same day in and day out.
• Limit caffeine and sugar just prior to bedtime.
• Get some tasks completed the night before school. Select your kid's clothes and consider letting her help you so that she will not resist getting dressed in the morning. And if you need to send a snack or lunch to school, consider packing those the night before too.

Our Savvy picks can help you start your school days right...

Transportation Lunch Box by Crocodile Creek
What says back to school like a new lunchbox? Nothing! (Except of course for a Trapper Keeper and a fresh pack of Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils, but save that for 5th grade....) These Crocodile Creek lunchboxes are perfectly sized and themed for the preschool set -- choose between transportation, barnyard, dinosaurs, garden, butterflies, horses, etc. Tuck in a sandwich, some fruit and a little love note, and bring on the day!

Stephen Joseph Snack Sacks by So Sweet Boutique
If your child's preschool day ends before lunch, maybe a little snack-sized pouch is more useful. It comes in ladybug, kitty cat, monkey, frog and other designs, and each one comes with themed notes for slipping in a special note to remind her just how much her mama loves her. This especially cute sack is great for stowing anything from a full lunch to just a sippy cup and a banana. It is also great for a little one who doesn't need to bring a single thing to school, but who likes carrying a bag just to feel "big." Pop in a special lovey and a note, and that big kid is ready to go.

...and end them well, too.

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems
Sometimes a little humor and a little reverse psychology are needed to persuade a wakeful preschooler that it really is time for bed. If that is the case at your house, allow us to suggest acquainting your preschooler with Mo Willems's pigeon. This stubborn, whiny, kvetching yet somehow oddly appealing bird turns the tables on his kiddie readers who are instructed, on the first page, not to let him stay up late. They must fend off all of the usual excuses (I'm not tired, I want water) and other more inventive delay tactics. Will your preschoolers find this amusing? Undoubtedly. Will it teach them henceforth to march quietly to bed with no complaints? Unlikely, but then, would we really want them to?

Remote Control Moon in My Room by Discovery Channel
How sweet is it that your adored little one actually thinks you hang the moon? Is there any chance we can make that notion last? Through maybe the dreaded teenage years? Well, we are willing to try -- and, hey, if we just end up with the world's coolest nightlight, so much the better. This very realistic, dinner-plate-sized moon lamp hangs on your child's wall without cords (it runs on batteries, and we would advise buying some extra), and you can use the remote control to set it to various programs that cycle through the 12 phases of the moon. The one we like best goes through all 12 lunar phases in a minute and then shuts off automatically after an hour of repetition. This moon also comes with a CD that describes the moon and the rest of the universe, and there is a setting that you can use to illuminate the moon when your child's room goes dark. Your little one gets to sleep in the moonlight, all the while safely tucked into his wee little bed. (Extra bonus: When you read Guess How Much I Love You before bed, your child will be able to know exactly how far your love reaches.)

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