Your kids have spring fever, but there’s still time left in the school year. Here’s how a flexible routine can help.
I’m one of those structured moms. I keep after-school and evening hours pretty organized during the school year. Kids come home, eat snack, homework and play, baths and showers, dinner, then bed. I find for my family that having a basic daily structure really keeps our afternoons flowing. Snack gives me time to catch up on the kids’ daily news, homework and play gives everyone a chance to get some space after a long day, then baths and showers transition us to evening, and full bellies head to sleep. Yes, even when they need a fresh set of pajamas before bed, I prefer clean kids at dinner!
But post-Pesach, and it happens every year, no one wants any part of the structure. They (and me!) want to be outside, playing and enjoying the warmer weather with neighbors, and pretending there’s no homework or bedtime. Problem is, despite the sunny weather and passing ice cream trucks, there’s still lots of May and June to deal with. Even though we’re craving summer, the kids still have to wake up on time for the bus–we just can’t treat it like summer yet.
So here’s what I’ve come up with. Come spring, we say goodbye to structure, and hello to a flexible routine. With some pre-planning on our parts, we can get to the nonnegotiables of the day without feeling like spring is passing us by. The key is, we have to pick our nonnegotiables wisely. Figure out if it’s getting to bed on-time, a healthy and fancy dinner, homework, or whatever else has to get done in your house. Then, see what you can relax on.
Here are some ideas on what you can let go and how you can better prepare for your nonnegotiables.
- Snack time: if snack is ready when the kids get home, and portable, bring it outside! Start play and outside time as soon as possible. Homework first doesn’t always work when the best hours of daylight are happening!
- Homework: Okay, this is a touchy one. On fun spring days, I just can’t be bothered. Maybe the kids will skip, or I’ll have them do just one subject, and if they do it quickly maybe just one more. Teachers, I know homework is important, but so is being a kid.
- Dinner: Can you prep it before the kids get home? Otherwise, pick your Dinner Done favorite. Your motto is quick, quick, quick.
- Bedtime: Can you make it just a bit later than winter? Not too late that they can’t get up in the morning, but just a little later to get in just a little more fun? If this is nonnegotiable for your family, just pick something else.
Pick your nonnegotiables, and see how you can let the other things go. Watch how your family’s spring fever slowly goes away by incorporating some summer-style time while still maintaining the things that matter to you most.
I totally agree with the comment on homework. As an elementary teacher for a number of years, I’ve never understood the emphasis put on homework. (Maybe first grade where they start to read it’s important) but being that I don’t create the system and need to follow the school rules I always give my students 2 minutes of homework to cover that. This always feels like an extra unnecessary job to come up with homework and then follow up on it. If someone can explain this please do.
Ive always thought there is an unhealthy emphasis on Homework. i always was a conscientious student, and now as a mother it is so so difficult to come home after a long day at work and have to fight the kids to do homework when they had a long day too. Esp my kid with ADHD. the little bit of time we are home together after a long day has a damper on it with thte stress of homework.
If it was for essential learning skills such as kriah or reading, I hear the need. But to push my poor daughter to study pesukim with teitch….I just dont get it. If on ly we could do something to change the homework mindset.