4 Small Things That Can Make the First Few Weeks of School a Little Easier
There is something about the first few weeks of school that makes even the most organized parent realize:
Oh. We are all figuring this out.
New teachers. New classrooms. New schedules. New expectations. New friends. New shoes that somehow already have grass stains on them. And if your child is starting kindergarten, or simply heading into another school year with a new routine, it can be a lot.
We've learned something similar in our sports classes.
Every week, we ask young kids to walk into a new environment, transition between activities, listen to directions, try things they're not necessarily good at yet, interact with other kids, manage their bodies and emotions, and make it through class.
And let's be honest: It doesn't always go according to plan.
Over the years, we've found a few simple things that can make a big difference.
They're things we intentionally build into our sports classes and they're also things we're bringing into our own back-to-school routines.
1. Give them a visual schedule
In our classes, we use a whiteboard to show kids what's coming next. It seems incredibly simple, but for a young child, knowing what is happening now and what is happening next can make a new environment feel much more predictable. Predictability and knowing expectations can be especially helpful when you're establishing a new routine or navigating a transition, especially if it's been challenging in the past.
At home, you don't need anything fancy. A whiteboard. A piece of paper taped to the refrigerator. Pictures. Simple drawings. Even photos of your child doing the activity. The goal isn't to create a Pinterest-worthy schedule, it’s to give your child an anchor.
When everything feels new, having something familiar to point to can be surprisingly powerful.
“Look, first we get dressed, then eat breakfast, brush teeth, and go to school.”
And suddenly, the giant overwhelming concept of “getting ready for school” becomes a series of small, manageable things.
Click here for ideas on our favorite white boards to use for creating your own visual schedule.
2. Build in breaks before they need them
One of the most intentional things we do in our sports classes is take regular water breaks. Not because we're trying to squeeze hydration into the class, but because the break itself is part of the class.
When we transition between activities, we give kids a chance to stop, take a drink, regroup and get ready for what's next. It's a tiny reset. And sometimes that tiny reset is the difference between:
“Okay, I'm ready for the next activity!”
and
“EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE.”
Parents (us included!) see a version of this at home all the time. Your child gets home from school and suddenly they're melting down over the fact that their banana was cut in half. They aren't trying to be difficult, they’ve just done their best to hold it together all day and are now done trying.
They're hungry. They're thirsty. They're overstimulated. They've spent hours navigating a brand-new environment and following someone else's schedule.
Sometimes what they need isn't another activity. It's water. A snack. A few quiet minutes.
In our house, we try to treat that reset as part of the routine rather than something that happens only after everyone is already falling apart. And the same concept can work during the school day.
Think about where your child naturally needs a pause:
Before getting on the bus
Right when they get home
Before homework
Before an afternoon activity
Before dinner
Before bedtime
Don't wait until the wheels come off to offer the reset.
Build it into the routine.
Here are some of our favorite snacks to help your child reset after a long day!
3. Lower the expectations.
This might be one of the hardest things for parents to do.
When our kids start a new sports class, we tell parents: Don't expect them to make it through the entire 50 minutes perfectly. Don't expect them to follow every direction. Don't expect them to participate in every activity. Don't expect them to immediately understand the routine. And, depending on the child, don't even be surprised if they spend part of the class running away from the activity.
The goal isn't:
“My child needs to do this perfectly.”
The goal is:
“My child showed up. They tried something. We'll build from here.”
We think the same mindset can be incredibly helpful when school starts. Maybe they come home exhausted. Maybe mornings are a disaster. Maybe they don't want to talk about their day. Maybe they cry over something that seems completely insignificant. Maybe they're absolutely thrilled one day and completely overwhelmed the next. That doesn't mean it's not working. They're just learning.
A new routine takes time to become a routine. So instead of asking, “Why can't they handle this yet?” Try asking: “What would make this a little easier right now?” Maybe the answer is an earlier bedtime, packing their backpack together, fewer afternoon activities for the first few weeks, a snack immediately after school, or simply giving them permission to have a hard day.
You don't have to know exactly what the final routine will look like on day one.
You're allowed to figure it out together.
4. Have a plan, and then be willing to throw it out.
Every Inclyousion Sports class starts with a plan. Our coaches know what activities we're going to do, what equipment we'll use and what skills we're hoping to work on. And then the kids arrive!
Sometimes they LOVE the activity we planned. Sometimes they absolutely do not. Sometimes the parachute is the greatest invention in human history. Sometimes nobody wants anything to do with it. And that's when a good coach pivots. Maybe we switch to bubbles, or turn a waiting-in-line activity into a movement game, or we change the order of the activities, or maybe we scrap the plan entirely and do something that gets everyone moving differently.
The plan gives us structure. Flexibility helps us actually get through the class.
Your back-to-school routine can work the same way. Have the meal plan, the after-school routine, the bedtime schedule. the backpack packed the night before. And then recognize that some days, none of it is going to happen. That's okay.
The purpose of a routine isn't to make your family follow a perfect schedule. It's to give your family something to return to. Some days you'll follow it. Other days you'll modify it. There are days you'll eat cereal for dinner and call it a win. We're pro-routine in our family and business, but we're also very pro-“well, that didn't work today, let's try something else.”
The goal isn't a perfect first few weeks
Whether your child is starting kindergarten for the first time or heading back to a familiar classroom, there's going to be an adjustment period.
And maybe that's the biggest thing we've learned from working with young kids: Progress rarely looks perfectly linear.
So this back-to-school season, we're trying to remember:
Give them an anchor like a visual schedule.
Plan intentional breaks.
Let the imperfections and struggles be part of the process.
And give ourselves permission to change the plan.
You don't have to get the routine perfect. You just have to keep showing up and figuring it out together.
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