5 Ways to Make Busy School Nights Easier

5 Ways to Make Busy School Nights Easier

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After a long day, the last thing you want to face is a frazzled evening. Try to put in place small habits that can have a big payout for your children, tonight, tomorrow, and into the future. Connect fully over a meal and build a rhythm to keep the household running smoothly.

Use a Pressure Cooker

There are many foods that can be quickly cooked in a pressure cooker or an Instant Pot. Consider making a cucumber salad and prepping a pot of dal makhani, chili, or bean soup for a frugal, tasty treat. You can cook many dishes ahead, such as a pan of whole-grain cornbread or muffins, to serve with a soup or stew for a cozy dinner together.

After the meal, everyone can participate in the cleanup. Older children can scrape plates and load the dishwasher. Small children can empty lunch buckets and rinse out plastic containers. Adults can prep lunches for tomorrow and wash up the pots and pans.

After dinner, try to get the whole family together even for 30 minutes to have a bit of fun. Work on a puzzle, play a game, or watch a quick show together. Make sure that meals end in relaxation and joy, rather than stress and worry

Set Up Clothes

Before everyone goes to bed, make sure that everyone has an outfit ready for tomorrow. All adults and all children need to know what they'll wear tomorrow before they go to bed. This means that, as a family, you will need to consider

-the weather report

-tomorrow's tasks

-your first activity of the day

Morning brain time is some of the most creative and effective, so get out of the habit of using all that power to pick out clothes. Instead, make it part of putting on pajamas, taking a bath, or putting dirty clothes in the hamper. Parents will want to review the child's choice to make sure it's in good shape and weather appropriate.

Gather Homework and Work-Work

Many kids work on homework while parents prepare meals. If possible, use a timer so that everyone knows how much time they have left before dinner needs to go on the table. If children need more time or space for their homework, parents may need to make sure they have a desk in their own rooms for this purpose.

At the end of the homework sessions, make everyone stop and package up what's been completed. Don't create stacks for putting things away later; allow both children and adults the brain space that says, "There, that's finished and put away." If possible, have kids put school bags near their coat for a smooth morning process.

Adults will also need to gather up and put away any work they brought home. Stacks of projects moved back and forth on the table, are at risk of damage, doodling, and forgetting. Whenever possible, put things away before dinner.

Check Instructions

As dinner winds down, ask kids to think back to any instructions they may have forgotten. Are there any notes, tasks, projects, or purchases coming up that need to be managed? Finding out at 9 pm that your child has a project that needs specific supplies may be funny on television, but in real life, it's frustrating and disruptive. Worse, you may not have the budget for what they need, which can create unhappiness and panic.

Charge and Sanitize

Try to get the whole family to sanitize all electronics as they come in. If possible, kids to put their phones, tablets, and laptops on their chargers before dinner unless needed for homework. Try to have eye to eye and face to face conversations around your evening meal.

Not only will this make sure that everyone has the juice they need to get through the next day, but by putting up electronics, everyone can clear their heads of the events of the day.

The evening is not the most creative brain time. By putting together habits that will make the day about winding down into a routine of relaxation before bed, you can help your spouse and your children enjoy a calmer mind and easier access to sleep when they get to bed.