Back to school, please! 4 in 5 parents are eager for their kids to return to the classroom

NEW YORK — Virtual learning may have been fun for students, but parents are eager to send their kids back to school. This back-to-school season, families are getting ready for the inevitable shift in morning routines after over a year of being flexible with home, hybrid, and in-person study. Whether preparing to return to in-person school with safety precautions or continuing to learn remotely, families might feel a bit overwhelmed at the idea of having an everyday routine again.

New School YearA survey of 2,000 American parents of school-aged kids finds three out of four (76%) were originally excited about learning from home last March, but then became tired of it six weeks into virtual learning. In fact, during the pandemic, most kids (72%) treated at-home schooling like a summer vacation.

While 84 percent of parents say they were equally as excited to have their kids learn from home so they could spend more time together, 68 percent of parents admit remote learning became increasingly difficult for them as time went on.

Commissioned by Amazon Devices and conducted by OnePoll, researchers discovered that nearly two in three families (63%) have lost any sense of a morning routine during the pandemic. Four in five parents (81%) are ready to have their kids go back to class, even if it means having to change their morning routine all over again.

More than half of parents (58%) agree school day mornings are the most stressful part of their day. Some daily stressors for parents include getting their kids out of bed (42%), waking themselves up (39%), making breakfast (33%), and getting their kid dressed (25%).

The worst part of waking up…

Fifty-nine percent of parents struggle to wake their kids up for school in the morning. The vast majority of parents (87%) have two or more alarms set to wake their entire household in the morning. To get their kids out of bed on time, parents will turn on the lights (46%), sound loud alarms (39%), open the curtains (33%), play music (29%), or send a pet into the kid’s room (29%).

“We know that everyone’s morning routine looks a little different, whether starting the school day in the classroom or at home. Families can create a routine that saves them time and helps them more seamlessly conquer their morning to-do list before a hectic school day or their evening activities after a long day of learning,” says Kunal Patel, Head of Product, Alexa Proactive & Routines, in a statement.

Mornings are tough for parents and kids

New School YearSixty percent of all parents struggle to balance their kid’s morning routine with their own. In fact, fifty-seven percent of parents recall being late to work because they had to get their kids ready for school that morning. If parents had more time in the morning, they would meditate (33%), work out (32%), sleep in (32%), or watch morning television (32%).

Before school, kids frequently forget to brush their teeth (39%), comb their hair (39%), take their homework with them (31%), and remember their backpack (29%).

Sixty-four percent of parents wish they had something that could help them make morning routines easier on school days. A third of all parents agree technology can be a helpful tool for morning routines.

“Introducing small changes and helpful tools, like technology, to everyday routines will help families start the school year strong and stay on track for months to come,” adds Patel. “Everyone deserves a little time back in their day, so start planning now to establish an efficient routine in your own home before the back-to-school pandemonium begins!”

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