Get in a Good Back to School Routine with Peppa Pig!

School is back in session and one of the most important things to do is get organized with an awesome Back to School routine!

We love giving you useful and creative tools to help you rock parenthood! Today we’ve teamed up with Peppa Pig in this sponsored post to share some great tips for setting up a back to school routine that will kick off your year on a positive note!

Why do we need a Back to School routine?

Kids thrive on routine and consistency… even though sometimes they push back against it! When they know what is expected of them, it is so much easier to be successful!

This year I have four kids at three schools (preschool, elementary school, and middle school). I feel like I am constantly in my car running people around. Not only do I need a routine for the kids, but a routine helps me manage everything too!

At the end of each day I have an exhausted toddler who needs attention right at the same time that her big siblings usually need help with homework and attention. With smart planning, along with teaching the kids to help, we might all survive (and thrive!) each afternoon!

How can we get started with a Back to School routine?

Start by looking at what you need to get done each day and develop some systems to let kids be able to be independent.

Less reminding, more self-discipline and independence for the kids.

We kicked off our year by setting up some simple expectations for the mornings and afternoons. These are mostly a review for our kids, since we’ve been doing them for awhile, but it is always good to revisit them.

Here are some of our daily routines:

Each morning the kids are required to do their “Big 5” jobs.

Make their bed (the little ones get help)
Get dressed/ put clothes away
Pack their bag/lunch/fill their water bottle
Brush their teeth
Say Prayers

* I should also add, “eat breakfast,” although none of them would forget that. They are very motivated to get breakfast, so they need to get the first three done before they can eat.

In the afternoon the kids have an additional set of expectations that are on “job cards” which were inspired by Simply On Purpose. Each child’s cards are a bit different, but they are the same every day. Here’s an example.

Put shoes away
Unpack lunch bags/put on counter (older kids rinse out their bentos)
Unpack water bottle (older kids rinse it out)
Hug & kiss mom and tell me the best part of their day
Get a snack
Take out their folder/papers/show mom
Do their homework/get it checked
Put their backpack away
Practice piano
Read
Play

Our morning and after school routines happen every day and help us all feel organized! I have my own set of cards to remind me of mom jobs like “sign Ryan’s reading folder” or “recycle the extra paperwork.”

After we get our jobs organized, we like to make sure to PLAN for PLAY!

Kids need to play every day- inside and outside! Some of our favorite playful after school activities include…

Simple science activities
Easy sensory bins
Stickers and window clings!
Coloring and being crafty
Riding scooters outside

Some of these activities we do after homework and some I set up for my toddler while I am helping the big kids with homework.

Peppa Pig wall decals can be used as decorations in your child’s room or play area, or you can even use them to decorate your windows as you play! My kids loved taking the decals on and off the windows and moving them around and using them to tell stories to each other.

We also loved coloring with our Peppa Pig activity book. Not only were there fun pages to color, but also simple activities to try!

How does snack time fit into your schedule?

Kids don’t get nearly enough time to eat at school. The after school snack might be the most important thing my kids eat all day! I try and make sure they get something healthy to eat every day right when they get home AND a lot to drink! We typically just drink water, but occasionally we’ll splurge for a special 100% juice drink.

My toddler always gets a lunch box packed in the morning with snacks. She doesn’t bring a backpack or lunch to school, but she likes to be like her big siblings, so she gets her own “lunch” to carry around with us. Often she eats her food along with her big siblings while they have their snack after school!

Snacks are typically fruit and/or veggies, cheese, and crackers. Sometimes the kids are so hungry that I will feed them their dinner pretty close to when we get home from school and then we’ll have a snack before bed.

What about showers and baths? How do they fit in?

Baths and showers tend to make some of my kids really tired and others energized and overly excited… so some of my kids shower in the morning and others bathe at night. This totally depends on their personality.

However you do it, just make a plan and try and stick with it!

Not only is bath and shower time a good time to get all those pesky germs off kids, it is also an amazing sensory activity for them! Imaginative play is always happening in our tub as kids make bubble beards or play happily with their toys.

What are some other ways you de-stress or calm down at the end of the day?

Reading books together is always #1.
We also love to play quietly with puzzles or blocks or do other calming activities.
Once homework is done, listening to music is also one of the most popular activities at our house.

The kids will also listen to songs while they pick up their rooms at night. Peppa the Pig’s “My First Album!” is a fun one that we recently introduced to my youngest. You can stream the album by visiting: https://eone.ffm.to/myfirstalbum. She loves it! The “Let’s Get Ready song” is a favorite around bathtime/bedtime! It is so adorable!

Do you have any other favorite calm down activities you love?

What does your Back to School routine look like?