Back to school - Routine is key to success!

Back to school time can be tough, especially if your family fell out of its normal routine during the summer months. Here are five simple tips to help kids get back on track:

1. Set up wake times and go to bed times and stick with them. Kids who get up at the same time every morning on a regular basis will develop a natural instinct to eventually get up on time on their own. This will help with going to bed on time every night.

2. Set up allowed after-school activities. Believe it or not, kids love rules. If you set up a schedule after school, for example: snack, homework, screen time, chores (or whatever works for your family), then kids have a pattern to follow. Setting up a reward system like screen time after homework and before chores creates a "sandwich" style system that kids really like.

3. Set up an activity outside of school. Kids who have regularly scheduled classes, like karate, outside of school create new relationships, stay focused in school and have healthier habits. Attending classes a few times a week gives kids something to look forward to.

4. Create a responsibility and reward chart. Is there something your child really wants? A trip to the zoo? New sneakers? A night at the movies? Create a realistic chore chart that corresponds with the value of the item/event your child is asking for. A night at the movies might be equivalent to making your bed four times, putting away laundry twice and not arguing with your siblings for three days. Be creative. Let your child help design the chart. Kids who participate in household chores enjoy the responsibility of helping out.

5. Be consistent with praise. It's easy to fall into the constant criticism trap of telling your kids what they are doing wrong, what they forgot to do and how they fell short of expectations. Take time every day to catch your kids doings something right and reward them on the spot. Rewards can be as simple as a hug, a high five, 10 minutes stay-up late with mom/dad, the last package of fruit snacks or choosing a movie for the family to watch.

Try some of these suggestions and see how they can get your family on track for a successful school year. If you are looking for more parenting tips or have questions you would like answered in a future blog, email me at: MrsC@CommunityKarateandFitness.com Your question could be featured in my next blog!