The first couple of weeks back to school are intense right?
Honestly I thought I would nail the whole school morning routine thing when Poppy started Kindy last year. But it was a shock, I was all over the place, getting rattled and stressed so easily trying to get everyone ready and out the door. Come term 2 I changed things up as I could not go on starting the day feeling so grumpy and irritated.
Below are my top tips in easing the transition back to school for both us as parents and for our children! I know we have busy mornings to they are simple, quick and effective!!
# 1 Top mindfulness tip - Just Breathe
A great way to leave the stress of the morning in the home and reset our energy and mindset for the rest of the day is to all stop at the front door and breatheeeeeee. It really can be that simple but we often forget right and PLUS we need to make breathing fun for the kids!!
S.U.N breathing is my go to with my little girl. I have created our S.U.N breathing into a FREE download which you can print off and place at your front door to remind you all to stop and breathe before you leave the house! Get your download here - https://linktr.ee/amindfulstart
# 2 Top mindfulness tip - I like to move it move it!
I honestly thought Poppy would come back from school totally exhausted each day but I was sooooo wrong. Our children have been sat, on their best behavior, most likely containing all their physical energy for the majority of the day. Which means they NEED to burn it off the minute they get in the door.
In our house we do a few mindful movements our fav are...
*Legs up the wall - this releases all that pent up energy, we have a giggle and instantly feel better
*Child's pose with a little massage - this settles our mind and breathing back down and releases all the tension in our backs.
# 3 Top mindfulness tip - Peace Out
I did something really very simple that helped turn the mornings from chaos to calm for me! I started playing peaceful piano music! I cannot believe how well it worked. It helped me feel calmer, it made me slow down, and each time I could feel myself getting frustrated (which is impossible not to do in the mornings huh?!) I would close my eyes and just listen for a second to the music and it would bring me back to calm.
This is my favourite playlist on spotify at the moment - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX4sWSpwq3LiO?si=SKetndH-ShGheCjO7DlqcA
# 4 Top mindfulness tip - Decrease anxiety, increase confidence
School can be incredibly overwhelming, scary and cause our little ones so much anxiety. Poppy and I have created our school positive affirmations! Why? Because positive affirmations are incredibly effective in increasing confidence, self esteem, positive self talk and this helps reduce anxiety. Poppy knows to repeat these affirmations throughout the day if she is feeling worried, upset or lonely.
Here are our affirmations and you can join us in reciting them together -
There they are my top 4 mindfulness tips that will bring calm, confidence and connection to your mornings helping ease the transition back into school! I hope you enjoy them!
Want more? Want to create A Calm and Connected morning for yourself and your whole family??
I have taken the changes I made into my morning routine and my families routine which has really taken us from stressed, grumpy mornings to connected and calm mornings and put them in a online program! For just $28 you can have access to heaps of tips, tools and downloads that will change your mornings forever!! Find out more here - https://www.amindfulstart.com/parents-and-families