It’s that time again! School is starting. I’m watching as my kids are feeling all the emotions and excitement that I remember feeling when I was about to start a new year of school. I’ve been thinking of ways to help make the transition from summer a little easier. I wanted to share 5 back to school tips that help make our school days a little easier.
1. Get to bed on time!
Our bed time is usually a little later in the summer. The sun is up longer and we usually have activities going into the night. When school starts, we shift to an earlier bedtime. We try to have our kids in bed at 8:30. Kids need a good of sleep so the have energy to learn, and play and grow. Getting them to bed consistently on time helps their bodies establish routine, and will help them get to sleep faster.
2. Wake up on time!
Take it from a non-morning person. As much as you or your kids despise getting up early, avoiding the temptation to hit the snooze button can save so much stress in your kids’ day. We all have mornings where we get up late and then everyone is in a frenzy trying to get what they need, and usually there is yelling, and stress, and mismatched shoes, and wrinkled shirts, and uncombed hair, and chaos. Is that how we want to send our kids to school? By giving kids a reasonable, consistent wake up time, we give them a fighting chance to have a better day.
3. Incorporate more protein into breakfast.
We’ve heard it a million times before, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. Well, it can be if you do it right. Nobody will thrive on donuts and sugar cereal in the morning. Incorporating more protein into breakfast helps keep kids fuller, longer, and helps their brains and bodies develop properly. There are all kinds of great sources of proteins out there.  Some of our favorite morning protein foods are eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt.
4. Wear comfortable clothing.
Many schools now are transitioning to uniforms. Our school is one of those. As much as I love the idea of uniforms, sometimes it can be challenging finding uniforms that are as comfortable as what they would have worn otherwise. If kids are comfortable, they can focus on what they are learning.
Luckily, I have found a few brands that I really like. One of them is a brand called Gildan. You may recognize the name because they are the official sponsor of Triple-A Baseball. They specialized in quality, affordable clothing that screams comfort. From my experience with Gildan clothing, there is a standard of comfort, and affordability regardless of it’s school uniform polos or weekend wear.
You can learn more about Gildan by going to GildanFavorites.com, or visiting their Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages. Also, be sure to look in to their current sweepstakes with the hashtag #GildanFavorites.
5. Pack a good, healthy lunch.
Just as eating a good breakfast is important, making sure kids have good food to re-fuel in the afternoon will enhance their school performance. We all know what the afternoon lull feels like. Energy drops, lethargy sets in, and the desire to sit in a classroom plummets. For tips on how to improve your school lunches, check out our 5 Ways to Make School Lunch Better.
We all know there is no magic potion, and no one size fits all equation to ensure your kids have a killer year at school, but these things have helped us get a few steps closer to making school a good experience. What do you all do to help your kids succeed at school?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Gildan. The opinions and text are all mine.