Summer break as a kid is always a magical time! No school, summer camp, play time with friends and family – a joyful time for everyone. Once summer break ends and it's time to get back to school, however, the transition can be difficult for the whole family, not just for the kids. As a health and wellness coach, I believe these 5 tips can help you make this tough transition a bit easier –not only for the kids, but for YOU!
Conversation:
Stress isn't only something that happens to us adults! A brand new class, a new teacher, sometimes a new school can be overwhelming for a young child. Take time to talk with your kids and listen well to their worries or even fears about the upcoming school year. A reassuring smile, a loving hug, a caring mindset, and your undistracted time (yes, full attention) will help assuage their fears and reenforce that you will be there for them always. Don't forget to ask what they're most excited about, too – and get excited with them!
Routine:
Start your school routine now! Don't wait until the day school starts to get everyone out of bed and ready for that first day of school. Start going to bed earlier now, and start setting their alarms earlier so those early school morning just a bit easier to deal with. Plan outfits, routes, class schedule, and meals to get that morning off to a smooth start. Getting into the swing now will make your mornings hopefully a little less hectic.
Meal Prep / Plan Ahead:
Once school starts it always seems like there are less hours in the day – especially if you're driving the kids to school and picking them up. I don't even want to think about the drop-off and pick-up lines in Atlanta traffic!! The one thing you can do to make mealtime easier is to pack lunches the night before and make sure you have easy-to-make dinners for busy weeknights ahead. I suggest snagging Minute Mashers™ with Gravy from our friends at Green Giant™ Fresh. All of their potatoes are REAL, have REAL ingredients and even now with REAL GRAVY from real chicken broth or beef stock (delicious!), but the real kicker is that these Minute Mashers™ with Gravy take only SEVEN minutes to make. That's it – just microwave for seven minutes and you have hot and healthy mashed potatoes with gravy on the table. And most kids I know won't turn their noses up to mashed potatoes and gravy!
Time-Outs:
No, you're not in trouble, but these Time Outs are for you! That's because while you're scratching things off of your long to-do list, you might have forgotten to take that extra moment and TLC for yourself. And, if you're not happy, it's hard to be happy for those little moments that really do mean the world. So, I suggest a 'breathing break,' by sitting quietly and deep breathing for a few minutes. Just even a few rounds of deep breathing, slow and steady - through the nose when you breathe in and out slowly through the mouth, can recalibrate your parasympathetic nervous system and realign yourself. Centering ourselves and taking a moment to be grounded does wonders for the emotions, and can reset you when things have gone a bit wacky. And, who are we kidding, things are always going a bit wacky!
Burn Off Energy to get MORE Energy:
A brisk walk. A ride on a bike. Floor exercises. Stretching. Yoga. These are just a few of the things that you can do to move your body, tap into your physical strength, and boost your cardiovascular system. All of these things will benefit your stamina, which you need in order to keep up with the kids' busy schedules and the hectic days surrounding them! Plus, because of this, you'll find you're having more energy, not less. Moving your body in a way like this refuels your system, energizes your spirit, and you'll feel less stressed and better overall. It's always hardest to start, but it gets easier. So, just begin ... do anything at all. And, ask yourself, was that so bad? Probably not ... in fact, it was probably pretty great!What are some ways you like to prepare the family for getting back into the swing of things? Let me know in the comments!
Potatoes are a part of every dinner
Yes, this should be helpful
Could use some stress reduction in my life.
with or without school, they are good tips to manage life’s rocky road
love that everything you need is inside is in each of these packages! Real, farm-fresh potatoes, real butter, and real seasonings!
Give your children foods they like so they don’t throw food in the garbage.
Great tips
get excited with them!
Last day , good luck !
Great ideas I never really considered.
These are great tips, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for all the great recipe ideas!
I have never encountered a school age person that did not like potatoes. Minute mashers would surely bring a smile to their face when they came face to face with minute mashers after a hard day at school.
I love that there’s no mess to clean up when you prepare Green Giant Minute Mashers with gravy!
Give your children baths/showers the night before to make it a bit less stressful in the morning.
Its hard to juggle after school activities, homework AND dinner too! This makes it much easier to provide a healthy meal to your family.
Good food goes a long way!
These recipes are the best !
Great ideas from a long-established brand.
Good advice for any road trip
Healthy, delicious, & convenient, you can’t go wrong with Green Giant Minute Mashers or One Step…Done potatoes!
Love all the tips.
Takes time but this works well
Make sure the whole family gets enough rest to keep stress levels down.
you cant have too many tips to ease into back to school trepidations. What works for one family isnt right for another. Trial and error and this bounty of tips could just be a life savor for someone having serious issues regarding their school
Helpful tips. Thanks!
Love potatoes!
Simply delicious !
Great thoughts. Especially for these times.
I haven’t been able to find any of these.
All these potatoes look so delicious! I especially want to try the Minute Mashers with gravy!
stress ?? what stress ! I’m eating minute mashers
Let your children see you eat healthy so they follow suit.
Making time to listen and talk with our kids each and every school day is a priority in our home. Asking how their day went, what they’ve learned new, were there any problems, are the questions I ask faithfully. I also inquire about any good reports they’d like to share.
Good tips!
Delicious easy recipes.
Any way you make potatoes, they are delicious !
Great ideas to head-off a stressful day.
all the above pretty much cover the optimum advantages to following priorities and keeping them forefront in your mind as necessary to regroup and stay on task,
Meal planning is important to me.
love that I can have these delicious potatoes without all the mess of cleaning up pots & pans!
To save time during the week & have less stress, try to plan the meals for the week at the beginning of the week.
so easy and tasty
Having hobbies, physical activity and good nutrition are key to a healthy stress free life.
Drop in unexpectedly at school. Surprise them at lunch as well. Volunteer at school
So many good meal ideas !
You have to establish a routine if you’re even contemplating managing children.
Love the tips!
yes, routine is paramount, same way, same time, dependability helps the children grow in the right direction
It’s going to be difficult to choose which flavor to try first! They all look so delicious
Start getting the kids on a back to school routine a week before school starts.
Excellent !
Get the children involved in activities like mealtime.
can’t wait to try Minute Mashers with gravy!
great tips
Plan meals ahead to help reduce stress about making dinner.
Reminds us how quick summer flies by.
planning ahead helps with everything, not just meal planning, but all your activities and excursions and school projects and assignments, guiding and shaping the child with organization helps navigate life
Good idea to get children involved. Good meals don’t appear out of thin air.
Thank you Green Giant for making preparing dinner a whole lot easier!
any life change is stressful and whatever tip can help alleviate some of the pressure, ..amen
Don’t forget to give yourself some R&R to help keep you from getting too stressed.
We must take time to listen to our children.
Meal prep is a must!
Simple time savers !
As a single guy I’m always looking for a stress-free meal.
Wonderful !
Find fun ways to help children burn off energy.
I will pass info on to my family.
I’m definitely going to buy a bag of Minute Mashers with gravy potatoes on my next trip to the grocery store.
Thanks for the awesome tips
Great tips for a stress free back to school.
◆No children, but appreciate the tips to reduce stress. Life is crazy sometimes. We all need ways to chill. Thx! ♡
great ideas love them al
Farm Star products are just what we need after school/work, to let loose with fun in the kitchen
A great choice on frantic school nights.
Convenient, healthy, & delicious. What’s not to love about Green Giant Minute Mashers with gravy?
Make sure you tell your children that you love them every day.
reuse and recycle
Great tips.
Make food fun so kids will want to eat it.
Anything with potatoes is so good
Now that school is about to begin. These products are as good solution to a frantic life.
our most common back to school issues are morning wake up schedule,,need I say EARLIER,,and evening independent school work can be a struggle, but once they are in the groove it isnt so bad. New and old friends always make things better
Saving tips for back to school
The Minute Mashers with gravy looks delicious! I can’t wait to try them!
Some children have a hard time going from summer vacation to back to school.
Thanks for the tips!
Winner!
yummy
I don’ t have any school age children, but these look like great tips.
Having Minute Mashers tonight !
Kids will love this.
I’ve trusted the Green Giant brand for years & all their products are top quality. I can’t wait to try the Minute Mashers with gravy because I know it will be delicious.
Listen to your children & talk to them if they have any concerns about going back to school.
More nutritious than junk food.
you cant beat saving time and steps with a busy family
Meditate for 5 minutes.
you cant have enough tips regarding back to school, from coming home after to early morning preparation, these are important tips for families
So many good nutrients
Would have been a great help when I was a child.
Green Giant Minute Mashers are going to save me a lot of time in preparing dinner.
Start getting children ready to go back to school by starting to go to bed early about a week before school starts.
Great tips for parents sending their kids back to school!
Back to school days were fun…for about a week!
So many great tips
Get the children involved. Helps to teach the value of money.
Minute Mashers with gravy will help make preparing dinner a whole lot easier.
easy to make dinners are the best!
Have children take their bath or shower at night to save time.
wish hese were around years ago so great
Tasty & easy to prepare
Easy, peasy!
Meal plan and shop and prep every weekend.
Potatoes are a staple at my house
Get the children involved. They’ll love it believe me.
these are good tips in life, not just back to school
These look good!
A fav way is foil packets on the grill using your fab recipes
These are all great back to school tips for the whole family.
Include your children in deciding what to make for their lunch.
Great ideas!
Can’t wait for my kid to start school!
looks swesome can not wait to try
These can make cooking less stressful.
One step and so easy
Minute Mashers help you have a fast, delicious, & healthy side dish for your dinner.
Would be a great addition to traditional tailgate fair.
Really great recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
No kids in my home but some good tips on dealing with stress.
Great tips.
Teaching my daughter how to meal-prep for the week. So simple.
Take a short walk every day to help clear your head.
Set a routine, but leave space for unexpected things to happen.
Great tips for anyone with young children at home.
Life is busy! These are perfect!
So, so easy
great idea
So many great benefits
LOVE THESE TIPS
Great way of getting the children to pitch in.
All these tips are great for getting ready for back to school time.
Destressed!
love potatoes
Make sure yo get enough sleep as well as your children.
cant beat this for convience no more pizza
a lot comes into play with stress and family dynamics and level of education and amount of assistance and size of family and and and,,,but every situation is unique regarding the problems and the solutions, if any
Taking time to do something you like will help to de stress
The kids will love, love the varieties offered here.
I love that it only takes 7 minutes to microwave Minute Mashers with gravy. Thank you Green Giant for making a healthy, delicious, and convenient way to have mashed Potatoes with gravy.
conversation is key
Stress-Savings Tips for Back to School!
Read the books chapter names and last pages of vocabulary to familiarize yourself with the subject.
Let children go to bed the same time every night.
good tips especially burning off excess energy
We started going to bed earlier now, and it is so healthful!
Have your list uptodate.
Meal prep has always been key for me.
My family and I love potatoes
We need to take time out for yourselves when things get stressful.
I’m looking forward to trying the Minute Mashers with gravy. They look delicious & are so easy to prepare.
These are some great ways to destress! Thanks!
I’m always looking for stress free tips!
Definitely some good stress releivers!
I’m planning on going back to school in my 50’s and these would make great sides for out dinner’s.
Talk to your children if there are big changes happening at school.
all good tips, thanks for the info
A good and trusted brand
So easy
It’s so easy to prepare the Minute Mashers with gravy. All it takes is 7 minutes & you have hot and healthy mashed potatoes with gravy on the table.
No back to schoolers here
Great Tips. Thank you!
delicious
Quick sides!
Give yourself “yourself” time.
Great tips!
skip the pizza with the kids make this super nutr
what a super great idea
Yummy
one, two out the door
My favorite part of back to school is getting back into a routine!
Getting a routine down early makes sense.
Bedtime routines are important for back-to-school
I could really have used this info 45 years ago. Now, it’s interesting, but I’m too old to benefit from it because even the grandkid is no longer a kid.
Great tips!!!
All of these are great tips! I especially agree with talking, and listening, with your kids about any concerns they might have about starting the new school year.
Keep to the same routine especially for younger children to keep the stress level down.
stretching is what I need to do
Great information for people with school age kids. I’m past that generation. I enjoy the spoils of the grandchildren
Saving time and steps is good
I don’t have any young kids at home but for those who do, these are some great tips!
Most kids like mashed potatoes
Nice to find ways to beat stress.
Great tips! I also like? having an outfit ready the before each school day.
M
healthy
Don’t give them food they don’t like.
great advice
making a list always helps.
love a fresh potatoe
so great for a quick meal
Love finding helpful hints to help us transition from summer into the school year!
Looks so good
We all need some time for ourselves.
I believe it’s very important kids and listen well to their worries or fears about the upcoming school year
so good
Love it!
Keep children’s lunch simple.
I’m glad my kids are grown!
Make a list of everything your child needs for school.
Great potatoes
Those are some great ideas!
Will make life easier
awesome
Wonderful!
I think that setting their alarms earlier so those early school morning just a bit easier to deal with is a great tip to starting a routine well before school starts.
We have no kids, but I am thinking about going back to College. Easy prepare meals will help.
Make lunch the night before school.
Very easy dinner to make for your kids right after school
Mothers always need a time-out for themselves.
Great tips for parents!
thank you this is awesome
its a wesome idea
Love Green Giant
Has to make a mom with school children’s life easier with these quick receipts.
Great ideas that we should all adopt!
Good tips for those with littles.
Thank you for your tip of taking a “breathing break” for myself. It will really help center me on chaotic days.
Make sure children get enough sleep.
Good tips! Going back to school can be very stressful!
It like that this works in the microwave always a game changer
so easy to do and healthy
make a list of everything your children will need
How cool is that?
Takes the stress out of cooking.
I should start meditating!
My son is special needs. Usually when he was in school its was stressful because I had to get him back in the grove of going to school. He is now 25. But I also work as a para and work with special needs kiss’s I see the parents with kids who may have issues with going back and getting back into the schedule of school etc
Glad this stress isn’t in my life anymore.
So delicious
Packing lunches the night before a school day is a great tip & time saver!
Some good tips here. Thank you.
love these bags
Easily made.
these are all good ideas
This school year will be different but easier. My son is going to College. Meal prepping will play a major role for our different schedules
great ideas
Thanks for the tips
We need quick and easy recipes for school time.
Great!
Well, we’re empty nesters with grown grandson, so we don’t really participate in these activities, but we do love potatoes.
This was always one of the most expensive times a year
Always a struggle.
Glad mine are out of school!
Whole heartedly agree with your suggestion to start a bedtime routine early.
love
Try to make going back to school as easy as possible.
nice article
Once my husband and youngest are off, I love taking my me time and having my cup of coffee while I read for a bit.
looks yummy
meal prep is always a good thing
Stress is so bad for your health. Thanks for the tips
Add sour cream
Awesome!
I use walks to burn off extra energy too.
Potatoes are very healthy
Glad mine are out of school.
Great tips! I especially like the one about talking to your kids & discussing any worries they may have about starting a new school year.
Cool
Great tips
Meal prep is the best time saver during the school week!
Some good ideas.
love easy meals on busy school nights
Good advice!
i cant believe how fast the summer is ending
Great tips. Can apply to anyone. Start more routine practices. Set times to eat, sleep, play earlier so can be rested when morning comes around.
Setting a routine helps a lot.
great tips! thank you!!
Every parents needs tips for their children going back to school.
My family loves fresh potatoes
I hadn’t thought of some of those things. I always used to be stressed at back to school time. I’m going to tell my daughter about this article. I know she gets stressed.
potatoes
simple easy meals are a good thing through the week for after school
I need less stress.
woohoo
relax and get rest
Love this!
Great info !
Remember to set time aside to connect and plan.
GREAT ADVICE!!!
So glad our back to school days are over
easy peasy!
Have children’s lunch decided on the night before school.
Great tips.
study hard
Stress is never helpful
A good, large, dry erase calendar!
nice
Great advice!
When school starts I truly appreciate some wonderful food that is quick and convenient to eat. I have children and am also a teacher, so I appreciate the help with dinner.
Love all the info
Good article.
I’ll put myself on time out for 2 hours
Yum
Great tips! Thank you for sharing!
I love taking timeouts.
yum
great tips, thank you for sharing
thanks for the tips
All so very very important for those of us with children. Times are always changing and with more and more outside influences, both good and bad, so we need to make certain we’re in the know more than ever.
Do you think you could make the Farm Star sweep any more ridiculous and redundant????????? Mary needs to get off her ego trip Nobody wants to go down a list of 30 things for a few entries and a measly $500
Do you think you could make the Farm Star sweep any more ridiculous and redundant????????? Mary needs to get off her ego trip
Good suggestions for reducing stress.
Good advice
Gradually adjust bedtimes & morning wake-ups to get the routine down pat.
Great tips!
Potatoes are so good
Honestly, to keep some sort of routine and to never totally step away from it.
I meal prep for my two sons and these are great side dishes to include
Back to school.
When my girls were in school, I found getting organized the night before was a big time saver in the mornings..
Routine mist import
Ant
I love planning ahead being prepared for everything and having family involved
Actually the “Routine” prep sounds much like what my parents did for us to get ready for the start of school.
It still works for my niece’s family.
thanks for the tips
Looks good.
Great ideas
Very helpful ,I’m just having a hard time with her going back already. I always do
Thanks.
yes make sure to talk to your kids!
nice
I have to agree with Burn Off Energy to get MORE Energy
It is important to get the kids off the ipads and outside for exercise. I know my grandson would be on his all day if my daughter didn’t monitor it. Exercise is great for stress.
I love that there is potassium in them.
These are some very good suggestions, especially the meal prep
Controlling stress is so important.
great info, thanks
Routine is what saves us! We have 5 kids and everyone has a morning routine before school!
thanks for the chance to win.
The change in routine from the summer to school can be jarring thanks for the tips.
Thanks for all these tips.
I will pass this on to my daughter-in-law
No stress
These tips are awesome. Saving to my favorites.