Ready, Set, School Year!
This is the time of year when parents breathe a sigh of relief, and children begin to fret. Yes, it’s almost back-to-school time. Whether your kids start school in August or begin right after Labor Day, now is a great time to begin to shift from “summer mode” to “school mode.” Here are several tips on how to make your back-to-school time a success.
- Restart School Year Routines – Summertime can mean getting out of bed at the crack of noon and staying up late at night. Within two weeks of your child’s first day of school, gently move waking times earlier as well as bedtimes. This two-week timeframe will give their bodies a chance to recalibrate and be better suited to the rigors of early morning waking and earlier bedtimes. There is no guarantee, however, that your child won’t complain about this. You’ve been warned.
- Evaluate Your Child’s Wardrobe – If your child wears a uniform to school, then this is a no-brainer. But since many children don’t, evaluating what is and isn’t appropriate for school is a must. If you don’t know the school dress code, learn what it is and modify your child’s wardrobe accordingly. By doing this ahead of the school year, you’ll (hopefully) avoid early morning dressing confrontations.
- Discuss School Year Goals – Even young children can have goals for the coming school year – whether it’s a certain number of books read to excelling in gym class. Older students may opt for after-school activities or sports options. Whatever they are hoping to achieve, discussing these in advance and creating a game plan will help steer your budding math whiz or baseball player in the right direction.
- Develop Ground Rules – Going to school will likely mean bringing work home to finish. When must this homework be done? Can it wait until after dinner or must it be finished before going out to play? When do household chores need to be done? How much TV is too much? What is the weeknight curfew? Weekend curfew? By talking these issues through, there is less likelihood of arguments once school starts.
- Celebrate the End of Summer – While the temperatures may not reflect the change in seasons, going back to school signals the end of those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Mark this turning point with a family outing expressly to enjoy each other’s company, reminisce about fun activities done earlier in the summer and talk about things to do next summer. This doesn’t need to be a big, expensive or elaborate event. It can be a barbeque in the backyard, a picnic in a park or fun at a local destination. It’s a fun way to note that time is passing and your children are growing.
- Take a Test Run – The first day of school can be nerve-wracking for students. Finding classrooms, navigating hallways, meeting teachers can all be made less hectic with a test run before school begins. This can ease the stress and anxiety your child may feel going into the school building on day one.
It may be hard to believe that summer is coming to an end. But a little preparation for the school year can make the transition smooth and (nearly) effortless.