Sep 3, 2021 11:34:32 AM

Building the Perfect School Routine [Classroom Resources]

Welcome back teachers, students, and parents!

We hope you had a great summer break full of outdoor activities and relaxation to get you ready for this school year. Here at Brightspark we are super excited for the upcoming school year and for the potential of travel again! With so many changes in the past year and a few uncertainties still around the corner, we wanted to welcome you back with a few suggestions to help make your transition back-to-school as smooth as possible.

Here you can find tips on building the perfect school routine, combating procrastination, taking a break to meditate and do some classroom yoga, and reviewing internet safety.

Building a School Routine

Having a school routine can be very helpful, especially in the evenings, to encourage better sleep schedules. To teach your students about the importance of sleep and how to get better at it, check out “Headspace Guide to Sleep” by Netflix and Vox Media, or check out these podcasts by the Canadian Sleep Society. Building a routine in the classroom is also important, it assists students in understanding expectations and norms, makes sure everyone is on the same page and builds a positive classroom environment. The best time to teach these routines and procedures is in the first few days of school.

Procrastination? We Don’t Know Them

We are all guilty of saying we’ll start something tomorrow or that we’ll get our tasks done soon and then waiting until the very last minute to do them. There are many reasons for procrastination, and they might be completely different for each person. Typically, it’s easier to procrastinate when your goals are vague and don’t have deadlines. Other causes can be feeling overwhelmed, wanting instant gratification, anxiety, perfectionism, or fear of negative results. Especially after a long summer of fun it’s easy for procrastination to set in. Whatever your cause might be, here are some tips for overcoming procrastination, retaining our work ethic, and helping your students be the productive whizzes we know they can be!

Some Stretching for Decompressing

There are so many benefits to yoga, and when going from being active all summer to now sitting in a chair for most of the day your students will need them. Yoga improves balance, strength and flexibility. It can improve posture and boost energy. Going from pose to pose will work on concentration and breathing. Not only does yoga have many physical benefits, it also promotes a state of relaxation which decreases stress and anxiety. It can be a wonderful time to focus on self-care, take a break and re-focus.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion are very important topics in the classroom to make sure that each student feels heard and respected. The beginning of the school year is the best time to discuss these topics so as to better understand your students. Check out our blog for more information and resources. Also check out PHE Canada’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion document, which, at the end, is full of even more resources.

Reviewing Internet Safety

The internet has really become an integral part of our lives; we use it to communicate, keep ourselves organized, to learn from, and to complete assignments. With more and more technology being integrated into class studies it is very important that students understand and remember the dangers that are associated with being on the internet. Take a look at some links below for ideas and lesson plans on how to teach internet safety.

It Takes a Team

We know that it can take a village to get kids back on track for school and parents are an integral part of that team; from setting good morning and nighttime routines to sending kids to school fully prepared. Here are some resources you can pass along to parents to help make things a little easier for their back-to-school process.

Take a look at Parenting Now for some parenting tips and strategies, and refer to this back-to-school checklist to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

Lunch Ideas

50 Packable Lunch Suggestions, which even comes with a printable list for your kitchen.
25 School Lunch Ideas for Kids
Back-to-School Kid Lunch Ideas
45 Easy School Lunches from the Food Network

Breakfast Ideas

Home Routine Ideas

For When You’re a Little Overwhelmed

Make sure to keep an eye out for our future blogs full of classroom resources, and take a look at our large library already available. We have blogs covering the topics of Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Red River Resistance, December Holidays, 1885 North-West Resistance, Heritage Months, The War of 1812, and many many more!