6 Tips to Help Your Kids Survive a Holiday Hangover

The worst part about the holidays is that they are over so quickly.

As difficult as it for us to trudge back to work and our day-to-day lives, it can equally as challenging for children to return to school, homework, a part-time job and extracurricular activities. Let's face it — after two weeks off, tons of presents, sleeping in, gobs of food and family fun, who would want to head back to school?

Here are ideas to help your child transition back to the school year and continue their success:

1. Start Preparing

A couple of days before holiday break ends, have a chat with your child about the expectations of the second half of the school year. This will help reorient their mind to what lies ahead. Maybe there is some homework they can start working on ahead of time. Are there college applications that need to be filled out? Is there an extracurricular activity that they need to begin preparing for? Start to think through the list of demands on their time and gently remind them of what they need to do.

2. Schedule Adventures

January can be brutal because the glow of the holidays has worn off and it's often chilly and dreary outside. Start planning a few family adventures for the weeks ahead. Is there a day trip you've always wanted to do? Maybe it's perfect for a January weekend.

3. Comfort Foods

Nothing makes us feel better than a meal that we love with our family. Take the time to prepare a few family favorite meals for the weeks ahead to give your family a little boost as everyone transitions back to normalcy. Another option to consider is making a special trip to everyone's favorite dessert shop for a treat.

4. Relive the Holidays

In the days and weeks after the holidays end put videos and pictures from the holiday season on a hard drive so you can gather the family around and watch those memorable moments on your television or computer together. Also, try to find the time to make a family photo album using an online photo website to enjoy your year in pictures. This will be a good reminder about building new memories for 2015.

5. Write It Down

Was there a particular moment this holiday season that stood out? Take the time to sit down with your children to preserve the memory by putting pen to paper and writing the story of this holiday season. There is such a rush to accomplish every task prior to the holidays and then they seem to disappear in the blink of an eye. Take a step back and use your creativity to capture what made this holiday season special for each member of the family.

6. Build Family Moments

Take extra care in the days and weeks ahead to come together as a family unit for meals, games, movies and activities. This time of the year can lead all of us to feel slightly down as we settle into the regimen of the winter. Be mindful of those feelings and work to create much-needed family time.