Something happens in our house everyday after lunch. It is like all the kids lose their minds simultaneously. Suddenly, everyone is running around, wrestling, and screaming. It make me insane!

Last week, the kids were doing their post-lunch craziness and instead of yelling at them to stop, I declared a book break. I told everyone that a book break means they need to sit quietly and look at a book until they hear the timer beep. I set the timer for 5 minutes and there was instant peace. It really worked, not just for 5 minutes of peace, but as a reset for calm. Once the break was over, some of them kept reading or looking at books while others moved on to play, but everyone was so much calmer.

I have used book breaks regularly last week and it has worked well every time. It calms the kids and gives me time to also feel calm again.