As the summer draws to a close, a new school year waits on the horizon. Parents of school-age children who face the task of helping their young learners readjust to the regularity of a school schedule and the challenges of academics. Gone will be the days of sleeping in and lounging around the house all morning. Gone will be the days of watching late movies on weeknights or staying up to play video games. For some, this shift in schedules may come as a shock that disrupts their academic performance and causes a difficult start to the school year. But this can be avoided with a few weeks of careful planning and discipline. Follow these tips two weeks before the start of the school year and you can help your children gracefully slide back into a regular school schedule once again.

1. Ease Into a Better Sleep Schedule

Children and adults alike can benefit from a healthy, regular sleep schedule. Experts recommend waking up earlier gradually until the alarm is going off at the desired time and it no longer feels “early” at all. Calculate the time needed for waking before school and count back a minimum of 8 hours for a good night’s sleep, though children can benefit from 9-10 hours. Also be careful not to lose your rhythm too much on the weekends.

2. Quiet Time Before BedHappy young family on picnic

Children and adults alike should endeavor to establish a pre-bed routine of quiet away from electronic devices. Reading, meditation and other relaxing activities helps us to relax before bed and fall asleep much more quickly. Take advantage of this time to catch up on reading and make it a family routine.

3. Establish Regular Meal Times

Summer is often characterized by irregular meal times. Late morning brunches, picnics for lunch, late night dinners and plenty of snacking are all common. However, at school a bell rings at a set hour to announce lunch. So a few weeks before the end of summer, set regular meal times that approximate those of the school year and stop snacking now to avoid hunger pangs in September.

4. Re-Introduce Academics

Our brains are like muscles and without use, they become weak and atrophied. So before the school bell rings, reintroduce some academics to your children. Establish a mandated reading time, study a language, review topics from the previous year and if possible, look ahead. Online courses can help them stay sharp in these months as well as academic summer projects.

5. Model Good Routines

As a parent, you should not only be enforcing good habits but also modeling them. Wake up before your children and accompany them in their studies. Let them see you reading, let them see you disconnecting before bed and sticking to a disciplined routine. If they have a good example to follow, they will be more likely to see it through.

Additional Benefits

For those who have fallen into vacation routines of snacking and maybe even neglected vigorous exercise, the organization and discipline of a “back to school” routine can be an excellent way to shake a few extra bad habits at the same time. Don’t give into cravings for snack foods. Instead, replace sedentary activities with adventures so you are tired by nighttime and exercise your brain to burn a few extra calories. Not only will your children be ready for school, but you will have increased your energy levels and maybe even shed some extra vacation weight.