Adapted by guest authors Alice Viles and Angela Alcantar from the “Twas the Night Before Christmas” By Clement Clarke Moore
‘Twas the night before School, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even Mr. Mouse;
The backpacks were hung by the front door with care,
In hopes that P.E. soon would be here;
We were all nestled, snug in our beds,
While visions of recess danced in our heads;
I would miss Minecraft while staying up late,
But tetherball and I soon had a date.
When out in the kitchen there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Tripping over a skateboard, quickly I flew,
Only to find everything a skew.
Dad was frantically making PB and J,
We had forgotten our lunches, that we needed the next day.
When, what to our wondering eyes should appear?
But six tiny Lunchables, we had bought last year.
Now that tomorrows lunch had been saved,
We turned off the iPad, the T.V., and games.
We sat down together, to review the next day,
We talked about cooperation, learning and play.
“Now, MATH! and, SPELLING! and, HISTORY and SCIENCE!
On, MUSIC and READING! and, P.E. and COMPLIANCE!
Now we were prepared and ready to go to our beds!
Oh wait! Not yet! We forgot to wash our heads!”
All fresh and all clean we were ready for bed,
We had picked out our clothes, all our books had been read.
It was a good thing we went to bed early on,
We had enough time for all the things that went wrong.
With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday, and all the good times that were had, keeping a consistent routine was probably not at the top of the list. Here are some ways to get back into the swing of things before heading back for the first day of school.
Go To Bed Early
- Being well rested helps minimize frustrations. Children do best with at least 10 hours of sleep each night.
- It’s a good idea to start getting ready for an earlier bedtime at least a few days or even a week before school starts. Depending on how late bedtime has been over the break, try going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until the desired bedtime goal is reached.
- What time does the bedtime routine start? Is there enough time? Remember to take into account teeth brushing, pajamas, book reading, and those last drinks of water.
Get stuff ready the night before
- Getting things ready the night before helps eliminate the last minute stressors in the morning. This can be done by preparing things like lunches and backpacks the night before.
- Allowing children to pick out clothes the night before provides an opportunity for children to build independence. This also can help minimize wardrobe battles.
- By getting things done the night before, it allows for a calmer morning and time for the unexpected. We all know something always comes up. There might even be time for an extra cup of coffee!
Review
- To help increase confidence, review daily routines so children know what to expect. This can be particularly valuable for children who may be feeling anxious about going back to school.
- Talking to children about how they are feeling about going back to school, can help highlight areas that may need special attention.
Most importantly, give everyone space for chaos. It might take a week or two to get back into the swing of things.
