To prime your kids for the new-school-year academic groove before the morning bell rings:

Hold an a.m. roundtable. Build a few fun lessons into breakfast. Have the kids practice reading the ingredients list on their cereal box and newspaper headlines (bonus: a great gateway for current events discussions). Plus, turn packing lunches into a spelling bee (b-a-n-a-n-a) and have the kids name the food group of each item.

Start a study group. Instead of your older Einstein computing on her graphing calculator, have her help a younger sibling learn by counting out lunch money together or drawing up the day’s weather report. A bit of interaction helps cue up verbal skills for the day.

Cut out cramming. While mornings are ideal for light learning, they’re not the best time for finishing homework or other serious school projects. Stressed-out scholars will have trouble focusing and feeling grounded once they get to school, so be sure the heavy lifting is finished the night before.

Source: Kate Roberts, Phd, a clinical psychologist in Salem, MA