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August 28, 2026

It is the start of a new school year.  Families are transitioning from summer to back to school.  For many caregivers, this transition is met with mixed emotions: sad for the slower pace and flexibility of unstructured summer days ending; and relieved to have the kids back in a structured routine, typically outside of the home.  No matter how much planning you do, there will inevitably be last minute challenges.  Part of preparing for Back to School is reviewing strategies to navigate these tricky moments.

Previewing the Fall Schedule:

It can be helpful to review each child’s weekly schedule with them so they know what to expect.   Reviewing a visual representation of the key transition events of each day can be helpful, especially when the review happens the night before.  For young children, the visual might depict only main transitions (when they are at home with caregiver or when they are at daycare/school) and a picture representing any special activities (playground, swimming, playdate).  For school age children, this may include more details (school, sporting events, tutoring, etc).  Keeping the schedule somewhere visible (refrigerator or near kitchen table) can allow children to refer to it easily. For some children it is best to only review one day at a time, so as not to trigger anticipatory anxiety or excitement (i.e., doctor visits or celebrations).  This prep can be helpful for caregivers as well.  It never hurts to create a visual for your week!

Prep Work:  Take a minute to think about the biggest obstacles you face as a parent getting through a week day.  Is it getting kids to school/daycare?  Is it battles over clothing?  Is it dressing, toothbrushing, or meal challenges?   If you anticipate the challenges, you can establish new routines or provide a predictable structure that can make things easier for everyone.

Dressing/Clothing:  For children in elementary school, it can be helpful to help kids pick out their outfits the night before.  For younger children, some parents find it helpful to assist children in choosing outfit (shirt/shorts or shirt/pants) combinations they like and roll them together, placing them into a shoe holder on the back of a closet door.  This can be prepped during the weekend to make weekday mornings easier.  This also supports greater independence in dressing.   For tweens/teens, check in weekly to see if there are any special clothing days approaching at school.  This helps you avoid last minute trips to Marshall’s or Target in search of that suddenly necessary item!

Breakfast:  Team up as a family to talk about what might help make breakfast easier.  If you have a picky eater, try to spend some time working with them to brainstorm a plan for weekday breakfasts.  Balanced nutrition (protein, whole grain, fruit, etc) looks different for different kids.  Some simple ideas might be: a nut butter sandwich paired with cut fruit and glass of milk; fried egg with cheese on a bun with side of preferred fruit; a smoothie blended with Greek yogurt and fruit and milk/non-dairy milk; toast with nut butter and Nutella or jelly; yogurt with fruit topped with granola.  You can also  prep some breakfast foods on the weekend (pancakes, waffles, mini egg bites) that can be popped into the toaster or air fryer to make things faster on the weekdays.

Timing of getting dressed and brushing teeth:  This really depends on your family and the age of your child.  For some children, it is easiest to pair brushing teeth and getting dressed with the first trip to the bathroom in the mornings.  Once they are in the kitchen eating breakfast, they can stay in that general area until it is time to leave.  For other children, it may be best to have them eat breakfast first and then complete the rest of the getting ready routine.  If they spill on their pajamas, it won’t matter since they are changing clothes anyway.  The most important part is establishing a predictable routine.  You can use a checklist or visuals to support the new routine.

Morning Distractions:  There are many things that can get in the way of getting out the door.  Parents and caregivers might need to review emails, texts, or may become focused on news or getting themselves ready while also supervising the process for their children.  When kids see caregivers multitasking, they may think they “should” be doing the same thing.  It is normal for kids to get distracted by toys, books, or internal thoughts.  This is part of being a kid.  However, when you create a clear plan for managing technology and screens, families can begin to remove some distractions and avoid additional conflict.   Most families find that if a routine can be established at the start of the year, it pays off in the weeks to come.  This will look different for individual families.  For younger kids, this may mean playing some familiar preferred “getting ready” music (auditory only) while supporting them through the steps of getting ready.  By being present at the beginning of the year for the getting ready process, you can quickly redirect your child to return to the task at hand when their attention wanders to toys or books.  Humor or distraction works well when needing to redirect.  It is best to have strategies in place to limit screen time for everyone (parents included).  Some families find that once everyone is ready to go out the door, there may be time (10 to 15 minutes) for some screen time.   For teens, screen time (texting etc) is often how they are connecting with peers.  It may not be realistic to completely limit access to screens.  Instead, they may need guidance in how to balance connecting with peers and getting ready for the day.  Other teens are able to manage this more independently.

It is best to work collaboratively to brainstorm ideas with older children for morning planning.  This can include establishing times for key events (what time to wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, get backpack ready, be ready to leave).  Make sure to add in extra time especially at the start of the year so that things go smoothly, even if a few bumps surface.

Staying Grounded:

In daily life, it is inevitable that there will be a range of moments, ranging from relaxed and fun, to moments of high stress. Part of preparing is having a plan to manage big feelings.  It is important for caregivers to find ways to stay emotionally regulated especially when things feel chaotic.  Not only will you need this as a strategy, but your kids will benefit from watching you use tools to stay calm.  Grounding techniques are ways to pause and place our minds in touch with our body and surroundings, so we can return to the “present” moment.  When our thoughts are focused on the future (what if this happens…?) it can escalate emotional dysregulation.  In this state, it is hard to access the reasoning part of our brain.  There are many simple grounding techniques that are effective.  It can be helpful to try a few and see what works best for you.  Shifting our thoughts to pay attention to how your feet feel in your shoes or on the cool wood floor; noticing the cold sensation on your hands as they hold a glass of ice water; rubbing scented hand lotion onto your hands while noticing how it feels as you slowly rub it in and then bringing your hands to your nose to take a deep breath so that you can smell the scent;  taking 3 slow deep (belly) breaths (in through your nose, and audibly out through your mouth) while you help your body return from overstimulation to a calmer state.  You can also use the 5-4-3-2-1 method.  Start by naming 5 things you can see in your surroundings (I see a brown chair, I see…), 4 things that you hear (I hear the hum of my refrigerator…I hear..), 3 things you can touch/feel (I feel the soft rug under my feet, I feel…), 2 things you can smell ( I smell my coffee…I smell…), 1 thing you can taste (I taste my toothpaste).

From our SSPS family to yours, we are wishing you a great September!

Drs. Jennifer and Larry Epstein

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