For many families, summer is seen as a time for freedom from structure and routines, as they enjoy warmer days and more sunshine. But by introducing some simple routines, you can help your toddler or preschooler prepare for a happy and thriving school year come fall.
As a caregiver, summer can be a great time to introduce some simple routines to help your toddler or preschooler prepare for a happy and thriving school year come fall. Below, we’ve provided ideas for routines you can try in your daily life to help prepare children for important school activities.
Snacking and mealtime routines: It might be hard for children to get used to a different eating schedule when they get to school. To help ease the transition, you can try introducing meal and snack times at home that reflect the school schedule. You can also try packing a lunch for your child each week so they can practice eating out of different types of containers. By the time your child gets to school, they’ll be ready to fuel up during snack times!
Napping routines: To help your child get used to school nap times, you can gradually adjust their naptime to match the school’s nap schedule. Creating a relaxing pre-nap routine, like quietly reading a book or listening to calming music, can help the transition. Encouraging your child to bring a comfort item like a small blanket or stuffed animal can help too.
Introducing structured environments: One of the biggest changes children have at school is learning how to thrive in a more structured environment. You can explore introducing a consistent daily schedule at home that is similar to the school routine with specific activity times, meals, and short learning lessons.
Communicating with other adults: Another big transition for young children is learning how to interact with other adults who aren’t their caregivers. To help, you can try introducing a short role-playing routine with your child each week. You can play the teacher and encourage your child to practice addressing you respectfully using appropriate titles and expressing their feelings to you as their “teacher.” To keep it fun and light, you can reverse your roles after a while, with the child pretending to be the adult teacher.
Learning new things: At school, children will have to adapt to new activities and learning opportunities that they might not have experienced before. In preparation, you can try to introduce a new activity or topic each week that will help them get comfortable with exploring new things. Encourage their effort to learn something new, which can help increase their self-confidence.
Introducing school-ready routines is a personal journey for each family. Because there is no one-size-fits-all approach that works for every child, these suggestions are designed to give you some ideas to try with your child and can be customized based on their unique needs.
