WNY Family Magazine August 2018 | Page 24

Simple Tips to Make the Transition Easier

Goodbye , Summer .

Blink . Where did summer go ? Iced tea makers and poop emoji popsicle molds have been replaced with pens , pencils , and reams of paper in what feels like a matter of weeks . Just when my kids figured out how to play upstairs by themselves for longer than 10 minutes , it is now time for them to get back on a schedule where play time has to be penciled in before and after homework hour . Changing routines is difficult for anyone . Add to that multiple children and multiple ages , and you have got yourself a recipe for stress .

There really is no right answer . There is no one size fits all when it comes to transitioning your kids from summer to fall ; you just kind of have to get through it . I have had enough summers under my belt to know what works and does not work , and from one mother to another , let me share what I have gleaned from my experiences .
First , get a calendar . Actually , buy a couple . Buy one to put on the fridge for the whole family to see , one cute one just for you , one for each of your kids ’ rooms and , if that isn ’ t enough , buy one more just because . Start with the family calendar and map out the months of August and September , and be intentional about writing down every single event in that month . When your kids know the plan , everyone wins . Have fun with this and buy some cute stickers to designate special days – this is a great
24 WNY Family August 2018
— by Meagan Ruffing

Hello , School !

Simple Tips to Make the Transition Easier

way to include your kids and get them excited about going back to school . Let your kids decorate their own calendars by marking special days with crayons or markers .
Start talking about school coming up . Use dinnertime to ask your kids if they have questions about what grade they are going into and what they are most excited about or scared about . Talk to them about what it was like when you started a new grade . Kids feel so much better when they hear , “ Me , too .”
Help ease new school jitters and social anxiety by role playing . I do this with my son sometimes , when I need him to work through a situation where he might get overwhelmed when someone either intentionally or unintentionally hurts his feelings . As his mom , I know that when his feelings are hurt , he lashes out verbally . To try and avoid future situations like this , we often role play about what could happen or might happen , and we walk through different scenarios . You can do this , too , with situations that are relative to your child .
Make a special day about your child ’ s upcoming first day of school . If you have multiple children , take each one out individually and plan on getting at least one new outfit to get them excited about their first day . Be sure to add this shopping day to your August calendar !
Now that you ’ ve got the schedule , role playing , and shopping day nailed down , the hard part is actually getting your children to understand that staying up late is a thing of the past and bedtimes are back in full swing .
There are a few simple things you can do to help with this transition . For some people , simply putting their kids to bed 15 minutes earlier each night the week before school starts works for them . For others , their kids catch on to this and fight tooth and nail to stay up .
To avoid the fight , try this : tell your child he can stay up until the time you have decided and tell him he can read in his bedroom up until that time . Set a timer , set his watch , give him that independence to have the feeling that he is the one who is in charge of when he closes his eyes when , in reality , your child is upstairs , in his bed at the time you wanted him to be . He will eventually learn the new routine and setting the timer will be replaced with him falling asleep on his own .
Another tip for helping your children with the transition from summer to fall is by keeping things simple . This means not scheduling a million things all in one day for your child . Pick one extracurricular activity and let your daughter have lots of free time before bedtime . Maybe sign her up for soccer and save dance for next season . It ’ s okay to have blank space on your calendar . Trust me . This is called letting your child use her imagination and allowing yourself time to fit in those unexpected things that come up in life . A busy schedule isn ’ t always better . Keeping things simple and low key for your kids can be exactly what they need to start the new school year off right .
Try these tips to help you and your family ease into a new schedule this fall and you will be pleasantly surprised at how well your kids will adjust . Tweak these suggestions to fit your family ’ s needs and , remember , keep it simple .
Meagan Ruffing has already started her kids ’ back-to-school routine and is soaking up every memory before her daughter starts kindergarten this fall . You can see more of Meagan ’ s work at www . meaganruffing . com or read about her story in her new book , “ I See You ”: Helping Moms Go from Overwhelmed to In Control , sold on Amazon .