Post First Week of School Recovery

While it seems like we spent weeks preparing for school to begin, now we are going to spend this weekend focusing on our ‘Post First Week of School Recovery’. Today ends our first full week of school (and preschool). Phew! Just as important as the back to school supplies, kids need time to recover from the exhausting week and so do YOU!

This weekend focus on doing NOTHING. Say no to the “back to school celebrations”, no to the trip to a busy mall, no to the trip to a loud restaurant for a celebratory dinner, no to the trip to a crowded park.  This will help us avoid the epic, overtired meltdown too! Even the FUN activities can be too much for them after a long first week! Instead, lets plan to grill out (or maybe order in), play outside and enjoy game night as a family.

This is especially true for infants, toddlers and preschoolers too! Adjusting to school (or day care) takes a lot of energy. Our children are learning how to interact with their new surroundings, new schedule, new friends, and new teachers. It is exhausting! Getting them good, back to school sleep is extremely helpful! But they need some recovery time from their mental exhaustion and overstimulation as well.

That means, keeping the house calm and leaning into early bedtimes (even on the weekend). Also, avoid the temptation to ask your child a lot of questions about their new school setting. After a long day, and a long first week, their little brains and bodies are mush. This weekend we will focus on making fewer decisions, unplugging and getting everyone outside before heading up to bed for an early bedtime because it is OK to give our little ones (and ourselves!) this weekend to recover…and then we can easy back into asking all the questions about their new school!