Establishing An After School Routine That Makes Life Simple

This post is sponsored by Sparkling ICE but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I’m just a few weeks into this new season of having a school aged child, and let me tell you, it changes things. I have routines posted all around my house, I’m insane about my kitchen being clean, and I’ve never been so good at preparing things in advance than I am now. A friend recently told me I was way more organized than she’s ever been, my response? Just wait until your child starts school, you’ll have no choice. There is no more running late, leaving when you can, or taking it slow in the morning. There are deadlines and arrival times that have to be met. There is an endless amount of papers coming home and going out, and if you don’t establish a routine you’ll quickly feel like you’re losing your head. Even with that routine it may take some time to feel a little less crazy. Our morning routine has made a huge difference in getting everyone out the door in time, but I soon realized the morning routine wouldn’t be enough. I have to establish an after school routine too. Without an after school routine, my morning routine is going to fail.

The tricks to an after school routine that makes life simple:

Give everything a place.

Don’t let everything fall where it falls or else you won’t be able to find it again! Give everything a designated space and make sure everything gets put in it’s place! I have made our entryway the designated area to keep everything that we need to grab when heading out the door. Our keys, wallets, backpacks, shoes, umbrellas, and whatever else we need to grab as we are running out the door belongs in the entry way. I’m always reminding my kids that when they get home they hang their bags and put their shoes in the designated space so that we can find them later.

Empty Bags.

Most kids come home with a folder full of items that need to be given to their parents at the end of the day. Get your kids involved in making sure these papers get into your hands. It’s a great way to begin teaching them responsibility and not leave the entire job in your hands. We are teaching Jase that when he comes home, he takes his folder out and places it on the kitchen island for me. Then make sure that his water, lunch bag, etc. is emptied and placed on the Island as well. When you get into the routine of this it can help your afternoon run smoothly, which sets you up for a better evening and morning!

Grab a snack.

Make it easy to grab a healthy snack for your kids…and for you! I have two bins in our pantry with snacks the kids can choose from. They don’t have to ask me every afternoon what they can have for snacks, instead they know they can pick anything out of these two bins. I have individually packaged snacks in the bins, as well as snacks that I separated into portion bags to make it easy for them to grab and go. It takes a little work up front, but it saves so much time throughout the week. Don’t forget to keep yourself in mind during this after school routine. Grab a snack or a refreshing drink to power you through the rest of the evening. Sparkling Ice is a fruity, flavorful sparkling water—without all the sugar. If you want to put a little sparkle in your sip, look no further. Sparkling Ice is packed with vitamins and antioxidants, zero sugar, zero calories and naturally sourced colors and flavors making it not only taste good, but a good choice too! It comes in 16 different flavors offering plenty of options perfect to give you that sparkle in your step through your after school routine. When mama gets fueled right, there’s no stopping her for the rest of the night!

Give yourself time to breathe.

Don’t rush straight into dinner preparation or homework, grab that Sparkling Ice and give yourself a moment to breathe. Sit down with your child and ask them about school. Give everyone time to unplug and connect with each other, before having to worry about dinner and homework.

Establishing an after school routine can make your afternoons less chaotic and run smoother. When everyone knows what to expect, and has time to breathe, you’ll see the difference in the way your evening plays out. I’ve noticed since implementing different routines how well my kids thrive when they know exactly what to do! They get excited about it! Not to mention how excited mama gets when the kids are excited about helping!