Updated: September August 30, 2024
By Robyn Parets, founder of Pretzel Kids
Struggling to juggle the back-to-school season with your job and your kids activities?
Is the back-to-school season causing you stress and anxiety?
If you’re balancing being a mom, yoga teacher, or a kids yoga instructor, back to school means back to babysitting headaches, back to chauffeuring kids from one after-school activity to another, back to making lunches every day, and back to starting the cycle all over again. Yikes!
Even if you have the help of a partner or spouse, back to school stress is enough to make your head spin.
To help you balance running your kids yoga classes and everything else going on, take a look at some of these 5 back to school tips to make this your easiest fall season yet!
1. Be Flexible and keep things in Perspective
Teaching kids yoga is stressful enough, but what if you have to unexpectedly pick up your kids from school in the middle of the day or take over the carpool on a day that’s not ordinarily yours?
In situations like these, it’s key to be flexible. You’ll have to also recognize that you may need to adjust your schedule at the last minute. Just remember: You CAN adapt even if you need to figure things out on the fly.
Take if from single mom Tracy Bagatelle-Black, a family therapist and social media expert. When her two kids were young, she used to bring her laptop with her to their after-school classes. She would even use that business’ WiFi password to get caught up on work.
2. Get organized and stick to Routines
Even if you’re super organized, keeping up with your own kids’ schedules can be a monumental challenge.
One mom’s Top Back to school tips
Bagatelle-Black’s No. 1 tip: Use Google Calendar and input all of your kids’ activities – including their yoga classes. You can also notate early release days, parent-teacher conferences, and more.
Her No. 2 tip: Set routines and stick to them. Bagatelle-Black’s kids would do their homework and then put it in a designated spot on the kitchen counter.
“It always goes on the counter and I check it right before dinner,” she says.
After dinner, things may get busy again, but when everyone is settled in for the night, Bagatelle-Black can hop back onto her computer to tie up loose ends from her day.
Lastly, Bagatelle-Black’s No. 3 tip: Set boundaries with your kids. For example, if she is on the phone, the kids are not allowed to interrupt unless it’s an emergency. Once she’s off the phone, they can all talk, she says.
3. Take care of yourself
Balancing motherhood with your yoga teaching schedule – especially during the particularly hectic fall season – can take a toll on your well-being. For this reason, it’s important that you carve out time for self-care – even when you have no time!
With limited free time, this may mean a run or walk during your lunch hour or even practicing yoga for 15 minutes a day. It’s also important that you get enough sleep, eat healthy and take vacations.
Lastly, make sure you begin practicing mindfulness. Giving yourself a mindful makeover will help alleviate day to day stress.
4. Enlist help
We all could use a little help, right? So, if you can afford it, hire a babysitter or enroll your children in an after-school childcare program. Even if money is tight, you can still work out creative childcare options.
Bagatelle-Black suggests becoming allies with other moms, especially those you can carpool with and rely on in a pinch.
“I once had a meeting with a CEO and had to rely on another mom to pick my kids up,” she says.
5. Timing is everything
Bagatelle-Black’s biggest timing tip is to be early.
She always drops her son off early to school as this kills two birds with one stone: She avoids the morning rush and she starts her day off with more time to organize.
Have a great school year!
Although back-to-school season can be stressful and a balancing act for moms, mompreneurs and kids yoga teachers, these 5 back to school tips should help you ease into the fall season with less stress and anxiety.
Become a Kids yoga instructor!
Here’s a final pro tip: Learn how you can become a kids yoga teacher and learn awesome ways to help your children and others lead less stressful lives!
About Robyn
Robyn Parets is the founder and CEO of Pretzel Kids.
