Back to School Routine in Australia: A Term 1 Guide

A good back to school routine in Australia starts a week or two before Term 1, not on the first morning. Move bedtimes back gradually, practise the morning once or twice, and keep after-school homework short and at the same time each day. Add a few simple chores, and the first weeks of term go far more smoothly.

The long summer holidays are great for kids and tough on routines. After six or so weeks of late nights and loose days, the first school morning can feel like a shock for everyone. Here is how to get back into rhythm without a battle.

In short: start one to two weeks before Term 1. Bring bedtime back in 15-minute steps, rehearse a school morning and sort the gear early; then, during term, keep mornings in the same order, homework short and at a set time, and chores to five minutes or less. Check your own school's start date, because it differs by state and school.

Back to school 2027: when does Term 1 start in each state?

The Australian school year has four terms and starts in late January or early February, but the exact date depends on your state and sometimes your school. These are the 2027 Term 1 dates for government schools in five states, as published by each state's education department:

Check your own school's dates. Catholic and independent schools often set their own calendars, schools near state borders can differ, and many schools have pupil-free days at the start of term. Prep, Kindergarten, Foundation and Year 7 students sometimes start on a different day from everyone else.

How do you get routines back after the summer holidays?

Start about one to two weeks before school goes back. Small shifts are easier than one big jump.

• Bring bedtime back in steps. Move it earlier by 15 minutes every couple of nights until you reach the term-time bedtime. Do the same with wake-up time.
• Rehearse a school morning. Pick a day in the last week of the holidays and do the whole thing: alarm, breakfast, dressed in uniform, out the door at school time. Go somewhere fun at the end of it.
• Ease screens back. If screen time stretched over summer, start pulling it back before Term 1, not on the first day.
• Talk about the new year. New teacher, new class, maybe a new school. Ask what they're looking forward to and what they're nervous about.
• Sort the gear early. Uniforms, shoes, hats, lunchboxes, drink bottles and book lists are far less stressful a week early than the night before.

A morning routine that actually works

The best morning routine is the one your kids can run mostly on their own. Keep it the same every day and in the same order.

A simple sequence for primary school kids:

1. Wake up, toilet, get dressed
2. Breakfast
3. Teeth and hair
4. Shoes, hat, bag
5. Pack lunchbox and drink bottle into the bag
6. Out the door

Tips that save the most time:

• Do the night-before jobs. Lay out the uniform, pack the bag, check the notes and put the hat by the door. Mornings go wrong when someone is hunting for a library bag at 8:20.
• Use a picture checklist for little ones. Kids in Prep through Year 2 often do well with pictures they can tick off. Older kids can manage a written list.
• Get dressed before screens. If there's TV or a tablet in the morning, it comes after everything on the list is done.
• Build in buffer time. Aim to be ready ten minutes before you need to leave.

An after-school homework routine: short and consistent

Homework expectations vary a lot between schools, year levels and teachers. Some primary schools set little or none. Whatever your child gets, the routine matters more than the amount.

• Same time, same place. For many kids, a snack and a short break after school, then homework before screens, works well. Others focus better after dinner. Pick one and stick to it.
• Keep it short. For younger kids, a focused 10 to 20 minutes of reading or maths is plenty. Stop when focus is gone, not when the clock says.
• Reading counts. Daily reading is often the main homework in the early years. Make it part of the routine, not an extra.
• Be nearby, not in charge. Sit close enough to help, but let your child do the work. If they're stuck, ask a question rather than giving the answer.

If you help with maths, our guide on how to check your kid's maths homework has a 10-minute routine and questions to ask instead of fixing mistakes. It's written for US families, so it says "math" and "grade," but the method is the same. And if your child has started using AI tools for homework, read Is Your Kid Using AI to Do Homework? before it becomes a habit.

Ten calm minutes every day beat an hour of tears on Sunday night.

What chores work during term time?

Term time is busy, so chores need to shrink, not disappear. A few small daily jobs keep kids involved without adding stress.

Good term-time chores take five minutes or less:

• Unpack the school bag and put the lunchbox on the bench
• Hang up the hat and put shoes away
• Set or clear the table
• Feed the pet
• Put dirty uniform in the wash basket

Save bigger jobs for weekends and school holidays. Tie chores to the routine you already have, like "lunchbox on the bench before snack," so they happen without a reminder.

Some families link chores to pocket money; others keep them separate. If you're deciding, see Pocket Money by Age in Australia. And if you're choosing between a paper chart and an app, our honest look at chore chart apps vs paper charts may help. Or start with a printable chore chart for your child's age.

First-week back to school checklist

The week before

• Check your school's Term 1 start date and any pupil-free days
• Move bedtime and wake-up time earlier in steps
• Try on uniforms and school shoes
• Buy or label stationery from the book list
• Label everything: hat, jumper, drink bottle, lunchbox, bag
• Do a practice school morning

The night before

• Uniform laid out
• Bag packed, with hat, drink bottle and any forms
• Lunch planned or made
• Early bedtime

During week one

• Keep afternoons quiet; kids are often tired after the first few days
• Ask open questions: "What was the best bit of today?"
• Read every note that comes home and diarise key dates
• Start the homework routine, even if there's no homework yet: a few minutes of reading counts
• Add one or two term-time chores

FAQ

When should I start the back to school routine? About one to two weeks before Term 1. Move bedtime gradually and do at least one practice school morning.

How much homework should a primary school child do? It depends on the school and year level, so check your school's homework policy. For young children, short and regular is more useful than long and occasional.

Do all schools in a state start on the same day? Not always. Government schools in a state usually share term dates, but Catholic and independent schools may differ, and some schools have pupil-free days first. Check your school's calendar.

How many terms are in the Australian school year? Four, with school holidays between each term and the long summer holidays at the end of the year.

Making term time a little easier

KudosNest, the family app we're building, covers both halves of term time: chores and homework. Each child gets a daily chore list they tick off, you approve, and points turn into rewards you choose. For homework, you photograph a maths page and see which answers look right or wrong. The AI can make mistakes, so you review and can correct any result, and your child gets hints as questions, never the answers. It isn't out yet; there's a waitlist.

Whatever you use, start early, keep it simple and give everyone a few weeks to settle in.

Sources

• 2027 school calendar — NSW Department of Education, 2026
• School term dates and holidays in Victoria — Victorian Government, 2026
• Future school dates — Queensland Department of Education, 2026
• Future term dates — Department of Education, Western Australia, n.d.