The summer-to-school shift

I have four daughters.
When back-to-school season comes around, it’s always the same. Even after 13 years, they still dread the first day of class — and homework.

And yet — my girls do well in school.
They have a good routine, well-designed work spaces in their rooms, special highlighters, books, and more. But getting them to sit down and do their homework without arguing, crying, or throwing a tantrum is quite the challenge!

Of course, they will occasionally study in peace.
For a brief period every year, our girls are motivated and disciplined — sometimes even at the same time! But the first few weeks of school are always the most difficult.

It’s not hard to see why.
Would Mowgli be able to leave the jungle and sit calmly at a desk without first being reintroduced to human civilization? No.

In the summer, my daughters rarely go to camp.
They refuse to brush their hair. They go to bed after 10 p.m. and wake up after 9 a.m. They survive on snacks and generally disregard fixed mealtimes. To help them through the summer-to-school shift, I need to reintroduce some structure into their lives.

How do I start the back-to-school metamorphosis? I get them up early. Very, very early.
Some say that, to prepare your children for the return to school, you should start putting them to bed earlier. In reality, it’s much easier to wake them at dawn: they’re sure to crash by sundown, no convincing required.

One week before their first day of class — the day after Labour Day — I begin waking them before 6 a.m. It’s not easy. For me, especially. However, by 9 p.m., they’re already tired. After a few days of this schedule, they gradually put themselves to bed around 8 p.m.

I can then resume our bedtime story routine or give them time to read before lights-out.

We also take advantage of this transition week to visit our local library, play board games and card games, do arts and crafts, and label school supplies.

We slowly encourage our children to do more intellectual activities. Our goal is to get them to sit down and think, far from their devices and bathing suits.

We also browse Pinterest to get excited about the most mundane activities. We convince ourselves that making lunches is a lot of fun. Believe me, it works.

All that said, I try to remember that, in his heart, Mowgli is a wild child from the jungle.
So, during this final week of summer, I also let my little ones run free and do as they please, like wear mismatched clothes and eat popsicles on the couch.

But their freedom is limited to the hours between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.!