CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Summertime can be great for staying up late and sleeping in, but once school starts that early alarm clock can be a bit of a shock. Principals say now is the time to get back into your routine. That means start waking your kids up at the time they’ll be getting ready for school.

Cindy Perez, Principal at Whitesides Elementary School, says, “It’s not only going to help the child with stress for school, but it’s going to help the whole family out. So what is your morning going to look like when the school year starts? And working with things we can’t control like traffic or other obstacles, but having a good breakfast, having things, materials ready the night before. School materials, clothing, all of those sorts of things.”

And it’s time to head back to that school year bedtime.

Perez says, “Just establishing those routines now. It may feel like it’s a little bit early, but it really will cut down on the stress and help your child be more successful when the school year starts.”

Their brain needs to get back into school mode too.

She says, “Certainly reading every day with your children, or your older children having them read, and then ask them questions about what they’re reading. There are a lot of valuable websites where students can practice math facts or reading facts, so I would recommend those too. Sometimes you can go to your school’s website and have direct links to those sites so you know they are appropriate for your child.”