Get Ready For Back-to-school With A Family Game Plan

Back to school time is here, and that means big changes for families! Summer is over, and now it’s time for early mornings, busy days, and calendars that suddenly seem to fill up, FAST!

When school starts, everything at home can shift. Maybe your kids need to wake up earlier, and the dog still needs a walk. But now the question is—whose turn is it? The dishwasher fills up faster, and no one wants to unload it. Sound familiar?

If your family has a busy schedule, things can get more than a little crazy. Between school, sports, homework, and dinner, it can feel like there’s never enough time. Parents might feel like taxi drivers, taking kids to practice or picking them up from school events.

But the start of the school year is also a good time to get organized. Take a few minutes as a family and make a new plan. Who feeds the dog? Who helps with dinner? Who takes out the trash? Make a chore chart and keep it simple — maybe even add small rewards to make it fun! Over the summer, Wing it Mode worked, but during the school year you need a plan!

Even though life gets busier during the school year, it can also run smoother when everyone helps out. With a good routine, the mornings aren’t so rushed, and evenings are a little less stressful.

So take a deep breath, make a plan, and enjoy the fresh start. Back to school means back to routine — and that can be a good thing for the whole family!

If you listen closely, you'll hear parents with a subtle sigh of relief too and maybe even a deep breath or two from your pets as they settle into the school year and more Me Time! 

Schools start Monday, August 18th at many area schools. Sioux Falls Public Schools will open Thursday, August 21st.

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