Summer Reset – Shifting from Summer Routine Back to School

After weeks of late bedtimes, endless popsicles, and spontaneous days at the park, fall starts to sneak up on us. For kids (and parents), that shift from summer freedom to school structure can feel unwanted and, sometimes, unmanageable. Although it is something that can be very difficult, especially for our more stubborn kids, there are things we can do to make the process run smoother. Believe it or not, there are ways to reset your routines without tears and total chaos! Transitions are tough, but luckily you're not alone!

The Importance of Routine

First and foremost, it’s important to understand why routine is so crucial and why our kids have such a difficult time winding back to a fall routine. It’s not only because summer is more fun, but also because they have just adjusted to this new way of life. 

Although summer has looser boundaries, full of adventure, it’s manageable in a temporary way. Kids thrive on predictability, specifically in long-term scenarios. The consistency helps lower their anxiety and gives them a sense of security. It allows them to regulate their moods, behaviour, and energy, which is especially important as school begins. Routines support executive functioning skills not only in children, but also in adults!

So, this routine is not only helpful for your child getting up early, being on time, and choosing their outfits productively; it helps you, the parent, to pack lunches the night before, get breakfast ready, and maybe have the time to actually brush your own teeth!

When to Start the Summer Reset

Now we don’t want to just spring the idea of early bedtimes and early morning on our kids…we all know that doesn’t end well. It’s beneficial to start this reset earlier on, allowing your child time to adjust. 

There are some signs that we can see that give us the hint that our kids may be ready for this reset. A big thing we see is this pushing of boundaries. Your child may be pushing to stay up later and rolling out of bed later and later into the afternoon. Now this is important to note, because they aren’t “just enjoying” these summer rules; rather, they're no longer valuing it for what it is. 

Maybe you're noticing certain pushbacks too, when being asked to do chores or getting off the screens; you're finding them to be more defiant. It’s also very common for kids to have more meltdowns, especially at “boring” tasks like getting dressed or reading. 

These are all signs that your kid is needing more of a routine, and funny enough we see these things happen just as school approaches. It’s important to realize though how common this really is. Many kids fall into “summer mode” and there’s nothing wrong with that; we just have to be aware of how we switch out of it.

How to Make the Transition Smoother

When it comes to the actual back-to-school routine, there are a few steps we can begin to implement with our children to allow for this smooth transition. 

We can begin with adjusting sleep schedules. This might look like gradually moving bedtime earlier by 15- 20 minutes every night, taking baby steps to adjusting their late summer nights. This goes hand in hand with waking up. Not only should they start naturally waking up earlier, practice school-day mornings, by encouraging them to brush their teeth, coming downstairs for breakfast and getting dressed in the morning. We're trying to gently drift away from long days in our PJs and rebuild our routine. 

The next tool we can limit is screen time usage. While some kids do well scaling it back slowly, others benefit on clear screen time limits. Saying things like “We're doing no screen times before lunch” or “You can have 30 minutes after dinner” helps to set clear boundaries that are being made to mitigate screen time usage.

For younger children, creating visuals can be extremely helpful. We often see kids under 8 respond better to charts or pictures when rules are in place, as it not only helps them follow, but also understand. Now with all this being said, it’s important to keep pushing these structured routines, because regardless of what you do, you will receive push-back from your kids. Now we can’t avoid this, but we can learn how to best react. 

A large tool we can use to help is our words. This involves mirroring what they are saying and validating their feelings. When kids resist, acknowledge the discomfort and upset. Saying something like, “I know it’s hard to go to bed earlier, especially when I’ve been more flexible throughout the summer” can go further than you think. 

We can also offer choices within the built structure. For example, allowing them to choose the steps of their routine, like asking, “Do you want to brush your teeth before or after story time?” This helps to show that you are continuing the consistency in your routine, but your point isn’t to be punitive. Expect pushback, because no child is going to be happy with an earlier bedtime and less screentime, but remember that it’s only temporary—it will smooth out. 

Every family feels the agony of the summer to school routine shift, and it will never be close to perfect. But it’s less about perfection and more so a gradual process. It may be annoying hearing your kid’s whine about watching one more show, but it’s nothing they won’t get used to. There are things and ways to make this tricky process easier. Just remember that by enforcing these changes with empathy and consistency, you’re not just preparing them for school—you’re giving them skills for handling change.