Start Your Child’s School Year on Christ’s Path

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

God’s children are preparing to go back to school. That means the back-to-school shopping season has arrived. Prepping children for the coming school year is not only time consuming and costly but exhausting. If you are running ragged, you aren’t alone: You’re among 3.1 trillion families with children who are making last-minute treks to the store.

And if the calendar feels accelerated, you’re right. Previous generations returned to classrooms after Labor Day. But now? Two-thirds of students begin the new year in August. But take a deep breath: You’re right on time.

Back-to-School: Back-to-Yourself

All your time and effort are well invested though. That’s true not only for your school-age child but for you too. Back-to-school means back to yourself. I’m guessing our three children could probably hear me sigh when they marched off with favorite lunches tucked into backpacks.

So now what? Tax-free shopping days are over. And despite pumpkins and skeletons peering behind fall leaves in store displays, Halloween isn’t next week. So, take some time to thank God for the blessing of the summer, the seasons, and your child.

Although our prayer time as individuals is shaped as the petitions we offer, just sit for a moment. Pray, praise, and confess if you wish, but most of all, listen.

Whether you click an app, read your favorite Bible, or listen for the same “low whisper” that also spoke so long ago to Elijah, treasure this time with your heavenly Father (see 1 Kings 19:11-13).

Finding a Christ-Centered Routine

Years ago, I sent our children to school on the wings of prayer. Now it’s your turn. That’s a timeless tradition that links us together, regardless of years, ethnicity, or geographical distance. These moments of prayer also allow you remind and teach your children that Jesus Christ is their Savior, who died for them.

There are other ways we can link across the years too. The school routines built into our daily lives give our children and us a sense of security. Later today, perhaps, your child will empty the backpack, refrigerate lunchtime leftovers, and recycle items that can be repurposed. Then there will be the “Do you have homework?” question and just a snapshot of time for unstructured play before supper. Followed then by mealtime, prayers, and bedtime.

There are variations of this routine. Many days, I’d be traveling for work, and my husband would have house duty. Perhaps your children are picked up after school-based childcare, but eventually, we end up tired but together as a family. Part of that togetherness is the time we spend with God. Practices vary, as do the resources we reference, but we are united by the Lord and Savior, whom we worship. Where does He fit into the new routine?

Tips for a Successful Routine

1. Plan a routine that works. Your neighbor might pack lunches the night before, but if that doesn’t fit your family, determine a pattern that will be successful. There are a lot of moving pieces: you, your meal schedule, your individual child, and always the ticking clock. Your child doesn’t get fed when a thoughtfully prepared nutritious meal is dumped in the cafeteria garbage or traded for a bag of chips. The “smartest” lunch is one your child will eat.
   
   
2. Review your routines. Establish a routine you and your child think will work, but review with your child at the end of the first week. Evaluate every single aspect of the morning routine. For example, divide the meal packaging pattern into segments: choosing an individual food item, packaging the item, adding “filler” items that will always be eaten, and so on. God offers a multitude of good choices, some of which your child might eat. This is the time to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
   
   
3. You know your child best. Match your child to specific formats that will help them. We’re a visual society, but some children mentally manipulate items in space. That means a picture chart which illustrates washing hands and a water bottle will remind a preschooler or visual learner what to do next. Numerous, free, printable, and reusable charts are available online for all types of learners.
   
   
4. Remember Christ’s love. The words in Isaiah 64:8 are a good reminder that God created each one of us individually. A child’s name on a paper lunch bag or list of routines makes an immediate connection. However, avoid splashing a name on an umbrella or backpack, which broadcasts a child’s name to a wide audience.
   
   
5. Support God’s children. Include a single Bible verse or message in a lunch bag that sends the message “You’re not alone.” This is especially helpful at the beginning of the school year, when a child is starting a new school or is in a class without many carryover friends. Perhaps you’ll include a Friday treat each week; a dollar store is a good source of nonfood items. For other ideas, think back to your own lunches or ask older kids for suggestions of what their parents did for them. Some ideas are timeless.
   
   
6. Start the day with Jesus. When waving goodbye to your child, follow the advice of Paul. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). This is not the time to remind your child he forgot to walk the dog or strip his bed for sheet day. Smile and encourage.
   
   
7. End the day with Jesus. Keep a devotional or Bible story book in the nightstand next to your child’s bed. My children loved the devotions in the Little Visits series. Tonight, read the story on page 210 or 212 of Little Visits at Bedtime. Our son Matthew learned to read with the Hear Me Read Bible Stories, Volume One. By using twenty-five different words (or less!), even emerging readers will have success reading Bible stories. Matt’s favorite story was “Bing!” Which story will be your child’s favorite?

Thanking God for New Beginnings

Thinking through the transition to a new school year will reduce the stress for both you and your child. However, this will be one of many new beginnings for you and your child. This month our family goes through another milestone as our oldest grandson begins college. Instead of asking, “Where did the years go?” I thank God for the opportunity to launch another generation for life. I am confident that, just as God walked next to our children, He will walk alongside Josh this fall.

Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6–7)

When Christ-centered routines are the basis for daily living, we know God is leading the way. Have a successful and joy-filled school year.

Scripture: ESV^®.

Need a book to center your family routine around? Try Little Visits with Jesus for short children’s devotions centered around Scripture.