As the ‘Back to School’ season kicks-in and schools are getting ready to re-open and welcome students for a new academic year, we take a look at how parents can prepare their children and themselves to the daily routine to follow the summer break. Here are our 10 awesome tips to prepare you and your kids for a ‘Happy’ return to school.
1. Reset your kid’s sleeping schedule
There’s no doubt that everyone loosens up a bit during the summer holidays, watching more TV, playing more games as well as sleeping and waking up a little later. And although, TV time and playtime can be adjusted easily (of course they’ll put up a fight!), waking up early on the first day of school can seem extremely daunting, especially for the kids. So it would be in their (as well as your,) best interest to change their bedtime routine around 1-2 weeks prior to the beginning of school. This way the kids will be able to ease into the new routine well in advance, enabling them to enjoy their first day of school rather than getting exhausted!
2. Plan their daily routines
Children are always aware of the fact that once the holidays get over, things will go back to being how they were during term time. However, being aware doesn’t mean they’re happy about it. Many, if not most kids don’t like the idea of going back to their school routine and this makes it harder for parents to enforce the new routine smoothly. This transition into balancing school work with playtime can be made a little easier through planning their schedules with them. If children are involved in the decision-making process, they’re more likely to accept the new routine as they will have a sense of responsibility towards the input they made during the discussion!
3. Night prep for smooth mornings
Are there times when you wake up pretty early but still feel pressed for time when trying to send your kids to school? This is where night preparation can be extremely useful. If there is any activity that can be done at night, just do it and get it out of the way, rather than leaving it for the next morning! For example: Encourage your kids to pack their bags; if possible, prepare both breakfast and lunch; lay out clothes for the morning, including accessories like belts and hair ties, etc. You will end up saving a lot of time whilst not losing your peace of mind!
4. Shop in time saves nine
Every year you get a new list of stationery, textbooks and sometimes even uniform that you need to buy before the year starts. I think we can agree that it’s best to go through the entire process at your own pace rather than in a hurried manner, surrounded by a larger number of rushing parents, towards the end of the vacation. Take advantage of the numerous online/in-store sales for the ‘Back to School’ season, that start as early as July and get your school shopping done ahead of time. Moreover, this shopping spree can get your kids pumped for school! So go shop well in advance but before stepping out, don’t forget to check your inventory at home!
5. Set up a hub
School mornings can be very chaotic and even more so if you can’t find what you are looking for! One easy way of getting around this problem is setting up an area in the house where everything school-related should be. A cupboard dedicated solely to items like uniform, shoes, socks, textbooks, stationery, and backpacks can help save a lot of time when finding missing items. If the children have been told to make sure that everything school-related should go back into the cupboard, the chances of not being able to find these things will be very less.
6. Encourage your children to learn a new language
Schools are becoming more and more diverse and so, your child’s classmates can be from any country. This can prove to be a great incentive for children to learn a new language and spend their summer being productive! Moreover, children pick up languages more easily than adults, making their school years even more crucial for learning multiple languages. Therefore, enrolling them for kids’ classes during the summer can turn out to be really beneficial. You can also take advantage of online courses offered by numerous providers such as Cudoo that make the learning process easier as the courses are offered online! If you’re on a long vacation in a different country, you can still continue to access the course and avoid any breaks.
7. Organize play dates
A long summer vacation could mean losing touch with your school friends, especially for younger children. Meeting them at school after such a long break could make them anxious and unsure about how the school year and their friendship will go. However, planning play dates a little closer to the end of the holidays can help reduce any such anxiety; boost the child’s confidence and make them look forward to going to school!
8. Be productive on the weekend
The weekend before school starts is significantly important. It’s your last chance to get everything in order and get fully prepared for the mayhem that the first day could turn into. Make sure you finish doing all the laundry and shop for your weekly groceries. This way you wouldn’t face any random food and clothing halts during the week. So, be as productive as you can be to avoid playing catch-up during the week.
9. Talk to them about their feelings
There’s no denying that the shift from a vacation routine to a school routine is massive! But apart from this shift, there are various factors, such as making new friends; having friends on the bus and getting bullied, which can be causing your child to worry. Talking about what’s on their mind could help to put them at ease and also make them realize that they have your full support in case something comes up related to school.
10. Do a mock run
The first day of school is overwhelming for the entire family and finding out that your morning routine isn’t as effective, can be really stressful. Rather than waiting for the first day to find out about the loose ends in your routine, do a practice run! If you’re driving or walking your children to school or even just dropping them to the bus station, the mock run will enable you to better estimate the time it will take! It can also be a fun activity that you do with your kids which will also help them prepare for ‘Back to School’.
If you use any of these tips or have any of your own that you would like to share, please add them to the comments below and we will update this list with your suggestions.
Andrie Steliou
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