Calm the Chaos

Tips to establish a new routine

For most families, going back to school means going back to a busy schedule with practices, lessons, meetings and other activities. Busier schedules often create chaotic evenings that make feeding kids a healthy dinner and getting homework done a challenge. When families have multiple kids in multiple activities, that’s an additional layer of busy! Planning ahead, staying organized and teaching kids to help are key. Here are tips to calm the chaos when the daily schedule is full.

Keep a Family Calendar

Maintain an up-to-date family calendar to stay organized, keep everyone informed and prevent forgotten or double-booked meetings and events. Some families prefer a paper or dry erase calendar at home, while others opt to use a shared family calendar app (or both) so they can access their schedule on the go.

“My phone is set with reminders for every recurring event: Get ready for ballet, leave for ballet, ballet dismissed,” says Amy Cameron, mom of three. “I’d be a mess without it.”

Prep the Night Before

School mornings can be hectic, particularly when families have had a busy evening the night before. To reduce morning stress and the risk of forgetting something important, lay everything out in advance.

“I work ahead whenever possible,” says Kara Thomas. “I put all the [sports] equipment together the night before so I’m not doing the scramble when I get home from work.”

Consider packing a separate bag for each afterschool activity so kids can grab the appropriate bag on the way out the door. Other things kids can do to help prepare for school days (either on Sunday or the night before):

• Choose school outfits

• Do as much prep as possible for lunches

• Empty backpack: give important papers to parents and remove anything not needed the next day

• Put finished homework and all necessary school supplies and books into backpack

Plan Meals

“Crockpot meals are the only way [to go] when one kid needs to eat dinner at 4 pm and another at 8 pm,” says Angela Leever, mom of three. “This saves us during busy game and practice nights. I also prepare ready-to-assemble meals like a big salad or burritos with all the components ready.” Leever also suggests having quick, filling snacks on hand such as yogurt, grab-and-go sandwiches and precut fruit for busy afternoons and evenings.

Stephanie Loux, mom of three (whose spouse often travels for work), concurs. She says it’s been helpful to their family to eat heavier snacks before activities if they know dinner will be late that day.

Cameron plans all her family’s meals on Sunday night while taking the week’s calendar into consideration. “We all get home at different times on Mondays, so that’s our crockpot night,” she says.

Use Creative Solutions

Even with careful preparation and planning, it’s not possible to be in two places at once. Use creative solutions to help manage, when needed. Loux suggests:

• Carpooling with friends

• Having an older child help prepare or serve dinner

• Setting reminders on Alexa or your phone

• Meal planning

• Eliminating screens until tasks are done

“Depending on the day [and amount of homework], homework is either done right after school before the kids can do anything else, or in the car on the way to a game,” says Loux. “I tell the kids they need to be flexible and helpful or we can’t do all their things.”

Two-parent households may be able to divide and conquer to split up transportation responsibilities, while some parents may hire a babysitter to drive or enlist the help of a teen sibling.

Extracurricular activities have many benefits and are fun to participate in. If you find yourself with so many activities that the family is overstimulated or stressed, it may be time to reevaluate. If your family thrives on keeping busy, then careful planning, preparation and creative solutions will help to calm the chaos. v

Sarah Lyons is a freelance writer.

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