6 Simple Tips for a Seamless Back-to-School Routine

How is it September already?! It feels like summer just started, and now we’re right around the corner from fall. Shahzaib started school last week, and I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that my baby is in first grade. He also happened to lose his first tooth two days before school started, which makes me want to freeze time even more and hold on to these precious moments.

That being said, one thing I am not looking forward to at the start of the school year is our early morning school routine, which means getting up at 6:30 am so we can be up and out the door by 7:25 am at the latest. This is a struggle for me as I’m a night owl, but a mother’s got to do what she’s got to do. I have some tips that have been helping me stay efficient in the morning so we can get everything we need to do before getting out the door.

1. Take out your child’s school clothes the night before.
Luckily, this is an easy one for us since Shahzaib has a uniform for school, but laying it out the night before, along with his socks and undergarments, helps us save time in the mornings.

2. Get your child’s lunch box ready.
I will typically place Shahzaib’s juice and snacks, as well as his fruit or vegetables, in his lunch box as long as it isn’t anything that will get spoiled overnight. I’ll also refill his water bottle and put it inside his backpack so we’re not scrambling in the morning trying to find it.

3. Keep breakfast simple.
We keep our breakfast options to a minimum; it’s either cereal or toast with butter and/or jelly. Some other options could consist of frozen pancakes, waffles, or oatmeal.

4. Create a weekly lunch schedule.
I prepared one last year to help me with what to make each day for lunch. Did I use it? Well, kind of…I didn’t stick to preparing the same meal every Monday, Tuesday, etc., but used it as a guide for lunch ideas throughout the week.

5. Daily chore chart
I created this during the school year last year as a way for us to keep track of all the things we need to get done before heading out to school and before bedtime. It was helpful as Shahzaib was able to go down the list and see what things he had left to do before leaving for school.

6. Get to bed on time.
This is probably the most important one, but getting your kids to bed on time is crucial. We’ve not been the best at this since we’re just coming back from summer break, but on days when Shahzaib doesn’t get to bed on time, it’s a struggle getting him up, changed, and down for breakfast, but on days when he does get to sleep on time, it’s so much easier getting through all our morning tasks before heading off to school.

I hope you found these tips helpful; if you have any others that you do that help you have a productive morning, please share them with me in the comments below. Thank you!

Sincerely,