Transitioning back to school: Establishing Routines

Going back to school is a really exciting time for a lot of children, but it can also be a source of anxiety. We've put some tips together, to help you and your child readjust to the school routine and minimise the negative impacts.

Tips for keeping a healthy routine for school

Routine Activities 

Encourage your child to have a similar set of activities that they do each morning after they wake up. This is important because routines can help to provide a sense of stability and something for us to anchor onto. Feelings like anxiety can often make a person feel like they are not in control and therefore some form of a routine can create comfort and stability. You can help with this by talking to your child about the importance of a routine. It may even help to give examples of the ways you or other adults, like celebrities or influencers use routines in their days to help explain how this can help to create stability. Remember to remind your child that it’s okay if it doesn’t always work out, and that there’s always tomorrow to try again. 

Role Modelling 

Encourage your child to get dressed out of their pyjamas each day by modelling this yourself. It might also help to choose clothes with them the day before and lay these out ready for them to put on. Changing out of clothes they slept in can help your child feel ready for the day. We know that there’s days we don’t want to do this, and that’s okay too, but let your child know that it’s an anomaly to acknowledge its not a part of your every day schedule.

Have some sort of a plan

Try to plan activities where you can. This can either be for later that afternoon or even better for tomorrow or the rest of the week. Having something to look forward to can help to lift our mood and give some structure to each day. But it’s okay if it doesn’t work out as there are often reasons why our plans don’t happen as we want them to. Remember, lazy days also count as a plan!

Look for activities 

Look for activities that your child/children would be interested in doing as a whole family. For example, you can use one of these activities on the Change4life website or visit the website of your local council for listings of activities taking place in the local area at a social distance that are free to attend.

Family time

Organise family time activities. This could involve games or other activities you can organise and do together, whether it's at the dinner table, on the bedroom floor or while you're taking a walk to the shops. They don’t have to require lots of effort to set up, cost lots of money or need technology. See some examples of fun activities you can do in nature.

Sleep routines

Encourage your child to use time in the evening to relax and connect with others. This might be talking with the people in the home and spending time together or might mean making contact with friends or family using the phone or the internet if that’s an option. If your child feels comfortable to do this it may also mean visiting other people at a safe distance of 2m whilst wearing a mask. Whatever form of connecting with others your family is comfortable with and able to do, conversations like these will help your child to feel calm and ready for sleep. It may also help to burn off any extra energy they are storing.

If your child is in the habit of going to sleep quite late then this may be impacting on them going to school. You may be finding that they are struggling to settle into a sleep routine for school. It can help to discuss bedtimes with your child by allowing for a realistic and gradual change. You could try to settle on a cut-off time of midnight for them getting into bed and then try to work this time backwards slowly. For example, if they tend to stay up very late then encourage them to go to bed 30 minutes earlier. If they usually get into bed at midnight but fall asleep at 1am, then encourage them to get into bed at 11.30 and fall asleep by 12.30. Then the next day, or a few days later, you could encourage them to go to bed another 30 minutes earlier. Keep doing this over a few days and weeks until they are falling asleep at a time that fits with a routine for school. If you are finding that anxiety is meaning you or your child struggles to sleep then there are also things that will help. See the guidance for self-care with anxiety from the charity Mind.