The summer of 2016 has been an exciting time for me with many outdoor yard projects, namely a newly constructed deck and a fabulous trip to Waikiki Beach, Honolulu Hawaii. While summertime is super great, I'm already preparing for fall because it's just around the corner.

Parents of my clients say that they love summer too but they are ready for the structure of a school routine to return to their lives. Here are a couple of tips that may help you prepare for the return to your routine. I know some parents think that their kiddos are past the visual schedule stage but hang with me here okay? All of us use some kind of visuals to help us throughout our day. I'm a list maker and I depend on my lists to keep me focused and on track. So, in effect, I'm giving myself a constant visual reminder of what I need to do. A visual schedule or reminder can remove some of the anxiety and stress of the unknown and lets face it, anxiety is huge around the start of a new school year. So, why not lay some groundwork a few weeks early?

1. Look for some fun songs about going to school and then make a list of fun things that your child likes about school. Have a conversation about the songs and school. I have a song called "I Love To Go To School" available in the Professional MT Resources section of KidLinks.
2. Use the link below to begin to talk about and/or show with visuals what’s happening in the coming weeks. Begin to think about your routine and then break that routine down into steps. Set up a time each day maybe 3-5 minutes to share ideas about school.
   
   www.naturalbeachliving.com/2016/02/daily-d-schedule.html

This Wonderful Daily Visual Schedule is exactly what everyone needs. Perfect for special needs children, Autism, and children that do best with a visual plan.
 

So, as summer comes to a close, please think about using visuals to help establish structure, relieve anxiety, and create predictability, as we all move back into fall.