If school has not yet started where you live, then that means it is just around the corner. No matter when classes start, it can be for the entire family to move back into that Back to School schedule. You can actually slowly transition your family to help them change their routine, so that when school starts, you have one less struggle to deal with. Check out these five tips to help your family east back into your own Back to School Schedule.

Earlier Bedtime. This is a big one. During the summer months, we all love to stay up later as we want to enjoy being outdoors and there is really no need for an early bedtime. This is a big change for kids (and even adults). Slowly start to move back the bedtime around 5 - 7 days before school starts. For instance, if your child's school year bedtime is 8:30 p.m. and during the summer they are allowed to stay up until 9:30, start backing bedtime by 10 - 15 a night until they are back to that earlier bedtime. Then, when school starts, you will be back to that bedtime and (hopefully) have fewer struggles at bedtime.

Waking up. This is another one which is tough! Kids (or at least mine) love to sleep in during the summer months. This is partly because they can, but also because of those later bedtimes. As you change the bedtime, you will also want to do the same for waking in the morning. You will want to do the same thing as you did for the bedtimes. If your child sleeps until 9:00 a.m., but they will need to be up by 7:00 a.m. for school, start to wake them 15 - 20 minutes earlier each day until they are waking up at their school wake up time. You might try to do this for at least 1 - 2 weeks before school starts, so your child gets use to waking earlier.

Food Schedule. During the summer months, you eat breakfast just when you wake up, which may make your lunch and dinner schedules a little off track. Help your children get into a school eating schedule. Have them eat breakfast shortly after they wake in the morning. If you know (approximately) when they will eat lunch at school, start to work that into their routine. Make sure you have dinner at a decent time, which would allow ample time for baths and homework in the evenings. This helps train their brain into knowing the times of day they will eat.

Night Time Ritual. To help your mornings go smoothly during the school year, it can be helpful for your kids to set out their clothes before they go to bed. Have them begin doing this a week or so before school begins so they can get into that habit. Remember that anything you can do at night to make your morning better is always a good thing!

Stay at Home. If you can, try to stay at home and do not plan any vacations or trips a week or two before school. Trips and vacations sometimes take some recovery time (sleep and attitudes) after you get home. Keeping a simple, stay at home schedule can help ensure your kids are not overly stimulated or tired, which can also help that back to school routine.

What other tips do you have to share?