“I want to watch TOONS!” my 3-year-old screamed when he woke up to find his older sister watching cartoons and eating breakfast without him. She had recently started kindergarten, so her schedule had changed. But my son’s schedule stayed the same; he slept until right before we left to take him to daycare, where he ate breakfast and even brushed his teeth.
I thought I was doing the right thing by letting him sleep as long as possible, but he felt left out. Once I started waking him up early enough to join his sister in watching cartoons, his morning tantrums stopped. If you have a little one struggling to adjust to an older sibling’s schedule and back-to-school activities, making him feel included could be a simple fix. Here are 4 ways to include your non-school-age kids in back-to-school.
1. Update his routine.
When back-to-school activities ramp up, most non-school-age kids don’t understand why they can’t participate. If you want your little one to feel included, a change in routine is a simple fix. Nap schedules can be adapted so toddlers can greet their siblings at the afternoon bus stop. Snack time can be bumped back so everyone can eat an after-school snack together. A toddler may want to pack his lunch in the morning with his sibling and eat it out of a lunchbox. A new routine is tricky at first, but little tweaks can lead to a better schedule for the whole family.
2. Set up an at-home learning station.
When making space in your home for your school-aged kids to do homework, set up a learning station for your toddlers too. A small table and chair, a toddler desk, or a special rug can be ideal for coloring, drawing, or practicing writing letters and numbers. Ask your toddler, “What do you think your sister is doing at school right now?” and then do an at-home version of your own. The bonus benefit of this is that it can help build skills that will prepare your child for preschool.
3. Let him pick out a back-to-school supply.
My kids and I love shopping for school supplies. We enjoy perusing the aisles of glue sticks, gel pens, crayons, binders, and number 2 pencils. It’s fun to go down the teacher’s list of required supplies, checking off items as they land in our cart. My daughter enjoys choosing the perfect first-day-of-school outfit and new shoes. The most exciting part of the trip for my son is choosing the design for a new backpack and lunch box set!
Your toddler can get in on that excitement, too. Let him pick out some new crayons or a folder with a favorite cartoon character on it. A cute new t-shirt will help him match the big kids. You don’t have to spend a lot for your little one to feel like he’s part of the back-to-school buzz.
4. Take photos on the first day of school.
I love scrolling through social media photos on the first day of school. Some kids have huge smiles. Others have a look that says, “My mom is making me do this.” I especially love the milestone boards kids hold in the photos with their grade level, favorite school subject, and what they want to be when they grow up.
Why not take those pictures of your toddler, too? She’s not heading off to her first day of school, but a cute outfit, a smile, and her toddler thoughts on a milestone board are great ways to track their growth each fall and include her in the first day of school fun.
How does your toddler handle watching an older sibling go off to school? What back-to-school activities could you include her in?
