School routine: strategies for a smooth return

11 August, 2024 • Par Natacha Langlois

“When the school year begins, all parents have a difficult mission: to get back into the good habits of an orderly and organized life. Routine marks the restart of regular and predictable activities and behaviors that generally define daily life during the school year and to which we want our children to comply. In September, we all aspire to a fluid daily life where routines are put in place like so many small processes that govern the "what to do" and the "when to do it."

Does this excerpt from the book “Four Seasons of Belles Combines” speak to you? As the start of the school year approaches, do you also aspire to see your children simply resume the different habits and routine left behind in June? Here are some tips and advice from Belles Combines to help you achieve this!

A gentle return to routine

Obviously, when we talk about getting back into routine, it is always better to approach it with patience and gentleness, if we want to avoid grumbling children and encourage their precious cooperation. Therefore, we suggest that you start the process as early as mid-August, so as to give everyone time to get back into their good habits without too much pressure. And, to get all the steps to follow that will allow you to get there easily and with motivation, download this handy little trick !

Valuable tools

To facilitate the establishment of the routine and encourage everyone's autonomy, the use of visual tools is essential.

Planning appointments, activities and meals

Organize your family's September schedule now with the help of our monthly and weekly planners, where you can write down all the appointments, activities and meals on the menu, so that each member of the family can easily refer to them and know exactly what the schedule will be for the coming weeks.

Distribution of household chores

Back to school is the perfect time to develop or resume good habits, and the fair sharing of household chores is no exception! To make sure that everyone knows exactly what they need to do each day when they get home from school in order to concretely collaborate in the smooth running of the house, take the time to set up our household chore chart , which will allow everyone to do their part!

Visual cues everywhere

To make the morning and evening routine easier and thus soften these critical moments in the family schedule, put our little self-adhesive sequences in place in strategic places around the house, which will allow little ones to know exactly what tasks they have to accomplish and, above all, not to forget any step of their routine!

The annual commitment contract for the start of the school year

To officially mark the end of summer and the beginning of a new chapter, reminding everyone what a return to activities and responsibilities related to school and home life during the school year entails, we invite you to take the time to fill out and sign a commitment contract with your children. This contract will not only empower and motivate your child, but also clearly communicate your expectations as a parent for the start of the school year. Find out more about all the benefits and points to consider of this commitment contract in the book “Quatre saisons de Belles Combines” !

Want to find even more content on getting back into the routine and going back to school? Here are some articles that might interest you!

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