September marks the return of the new school year. For many of us, that means a return to manic mornings, pick-ups and drop-offs, packing lunches and remembering dinner money, coordinating schedules and after-school clubs, remembering parents’ evenings, school plays, extracurricular activities and inset days… to name just a few things!
If you’ve been firefighting through the last few weeks, take a deep breath and stop. Parents – it’s time for a reset. Let us help you get back into the swing of things this September without crashing to the ground. We’ll show you how to make the most of everyday tech to take the frantic out of Fridays and put the joy back into your weekends.
We’ve got tips and tricks to make you feel more in control of your calendar and easily manage the back-to-school transition. While we can’t guarantee you won’t ever get another case of the Sunday-night scaries, we can at least ensure you have every tool available to avoid them.
Plan and prep family meals for the week ahead
Take advantage of technology to streamline your family’s meal planning and prep, freeing up precious time during busy weekdays. With EE’s reliable 4G and 5G networks, you can access meal-planning apps and online recipes anytime, anywhere.
Start by setting aside weekend time to plan your family’s meals for the upcoming week. Use meal planning apps to organise recipes, create shopping lists, and even generate meal ideas based on your family’s preferences and dietary needs.
Once you’ve planned your meals, order groceries online for delivery or pickup. Many supermarkets and online grocery services offer the option to save your favourite items or set up recurring orders, ensuring you always have those essential ingredients.
By planning and prepping, you’ll save time on weeknights, reduce stress, and create more opportunities for quality family time. Instead of rushing to prepare meals after work, you can enjoy sitting down together, sharing your day, and connecting over a home-cooked meal.
Use technology to organise and support the kids with their homework and study
Getting back into homework and study routines can be challenging after a long, lazy summer – for you and your kids! There are loads of great apps, digital tools and smart home devices to help you manage the transition back into education and learning without the stress and arguments that often follow.
EE’s Learn Smart platform is full of bite-sized content, making learning fun. Curriculum-based activities and resources support homework and revision, from Mad Science to Infinity Maths. Your child can even use the platform to brush up on their coding skills or create digital cue cards.
Using digital tools to create a family revision calendar can also help. Use apps like Trello to map out project deadlines, study sessions, extracurricular activities and family commitments and share with family members to help everyone understand the schedule.
Productivity apps can help your kids manage their time effectively. Apps like Forest or Be Focused can encourage concentrated study sessions while discouraging phone use, freeing up more time for a family movie night later.
Having some tech-free times together is essential to get the right balance. Use this time for family meals, outdoor activities, or simply to relax together, providing much-needed breaks from work, studying and all the other activities that take you out of the home.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Get smart to juggle multiple schedules with ease
Synchronised digital calendars will help with essential family organisation. Platforms like Google Calendar allow you to share and coordinate your family schedules effortlessly, avoiding conflicts and ensuring everyone knows where they need to be and when. You can even share it with grandparents, childminders and your older kids to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Most of us have some kind of smart device at home these days. Whether it’s a voice assistant on your phone or an Alexa in the kitchen, you can set hands-free reminders, track chores and appointments and free up your mental load at the same time.
Use EE TV to put an end to arguments over the remote control
EE TV’s multi-screen capabilities allow you to keep the kids entertained, no matter their age, and it’s free. They can enjoy YouTube along with their favourite TV channels and apps like Netflix, iPlayer and Prime from their own screens, so there are no more fights over what to watch. Just pick your main TV box and add an extra EE TV box to keep the family happy.
Prioritise family wellness and balance
With frantic family schedules and lots going on in the real world that can cause anxiety and stress, it’s never been more important to develop skills that can help with wellbeing. EE has partnered with Calm, offering science-backed audio content that strengthens mental fitness for the whole family. With guided meditations, breathing exercises, and stress relief tools, Calm can help you and your kids manage those daily pressures and find moments of peace.
EE Learn Smart is packed with loads of resources to support your child’s academic, mental, and social development. From celebrity-hosted videos addressing anxiety to stress management techniques that the whole family can benefit from, your tribe can incorporate these into the daily routine to create a more relaxed home atmosphere, helping everyone navigate the challenges of modern life with greater ease and harmony.
For more information, visit ee.co.uk/home
