📚 Three Tips to Ease Back Into the School Routine (Without Tears… From You OR the Kids 😅)

Let’s be honest: summer has a way of hijacking our routines. Bedtimes? Nonexistent. Meals? More like an all-day snack buffet. And as for what day it is? Let’s just say the calendar became more of a suggestion than a fact.

But now the school year is looming, and that first early alarm clock is about to hit harder than the last cannonball at the pool. So how do we get our kids (and ourselves) back on track—without meltdowns, bribery, or coffee IVs?

The secret weapon: BOOKS. Yep, they’re not just for homework and library days. Incorporating books into your routine can help ease everyone back into the school groove. Here’s how:

1. Bring Back the Bedtime Book

If bedtime slipped into “whenever-we-feel-like-it o’clock” this summer, you’re not alone. The easiest way to reset? Reinstate the bedtime story.

Choose something fun, calming, and just long enough to help little minds wind down. Before you know it, lights-out will start to happen earlier—without you having to announce, “It’s bedtime, because I said so.” Bonus: this makes you look like Parent of the Year. Double bonus: you get some quiet time back.

2. Make Mornings Magical (Kinda)

Morning chaos is inevitable, but you can add a little sprinkle of calm with a 5-minute “reading ritual.” Think: a funny poem over pancakes or a quick story in the carpool line.

It beats morning screen time, gives everyone a soft landing into the school mindset, and turns something stressful into a little shared moment. (Even if the toast is burned and someone’s missing a shoe.)

3. Turn Book Time Into Back-to-School Talk Time

Big feelings come with new teachers, new classmates, and new routines. Sometimes kids clam up when you ask directly, but books? They crack the code.

Choose stories about starting school, making friends, or handling nerves. Reading about those experiences helps kids feel less alone and opens the door for conversation—without them rolling their eyes and dragging out the dreaded “Moooommmm, stopppp.”

✨ Ready to stock your shelves with fun, kid-approved back-to-school reads? Check out our favorite picks for back to school—and make this school year’s transition a little smoother (and a lot more fun).

Happy Reading

-Julia