Tips For A Successful Back To School Transition

It’s that time of year again!

The time when parents rejoice and children groan.

Yep, it’s back to school time.

Tips for a successful back to school transition

If you’re looking for some unique tips to help your child (or yourself) adjust to the new school year, you’ve come to the right place.

What to do a few weeks before school starts

With just a few weeks left before the first day of school, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to help your kids ease into the transition.

Many kids have trouble with change, especially when it comes to something as big as going back to school. Here are some tips for helping kids cope with the return to full-time learning:

Talk about it.

Start talking about school at least two weeks before the first day of school.

That gives you time to find out what your kids’ teachers expect from them and what they need from their parents as well from each other.

Make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them at home and at school.
Talk about how much homework will be assigned and who will help them with it, so that no one gets overwhelmed by too much work or too little support — or both!

Don’t wait until the last minute to talk about what’s coming up in the next few weeks.

Ask your kids what they would like to try this year.

They may have their own ideas about what they want to accomplish, or new skills they want to learn.

If so, ask them if they have any ideas on how they can get started with their goals.

It’s important that the kids feel like they have control over their learning and that they are involved in the process.

Section: Involve kids in meal planning so they are invested in what they eat.

Set goals for the year as a family.

What kind of goals do you have as a family?

Setting goals together helps everyone be on the same page and gives everyone something to work toward throughout the year.

Do you want to get rid of clutter in the house?
Do you want to eat healthier?
Do you want to read more books as a family?
Do you want to spend more time together as a family?

Plan ahead for the days you will have together as a family (i.e., weekends and holidays).

Make sure there is time set aside where you can spend time together doing things that are enjoyable for all of you!

This will help build strong family bonds, which will help your child transition back into school much easier!

Create a morning routine that works for you.

Creating a morning routine now, a few weeks before the kids start school with ensure a smooth as butter transition (hopefully):

Implement earlier bedtime.
If you have late sleepers, start waking them up 30 minutes earlier.

Create a weekly chore chart for the whole family.

Chore charts help you:

Set expectations for your children.
Create routines for them to follow.
Track their progress
Provide positive reinforcement when they complete their tasks.

Establish bedtime routines.

It’s so important to get a bedtime routine going, especially for young kids. Studies show that a bedtime routine is associated with positive child mood and enhanced emotional–behavioral regulation

Tips to help you and your child establish a bedtime routine:

Start about 1 to 2 weeks before school depends if a bedtime routine is not in place.
Set a bedtime for child to know.
Let your kids know what expectations you have of them (shower, brush teeth, hugs, bedtime).
No electronics 1 hour before bedtime.

Be sure to label everything with your child’s name.

If your child is very young pre-kindergarten to third grade, make sure everything is labeled.

It will also depend on the school, some schools do NOT want you to label items… While others, like my daughter’s public school (before I pulled her out to homeschool) they wanted

every.single.item labeled.

Yes, EVERY crayon, EVERY marker, eraser, and pencil! It was wild!

Let kids have input on choosing extracurricular activities or after school activities.

Talk to your children now and see what they are interested in doing this year?

Are there clubs or sports available after school? what kind of of extracurricular activities does your school provide?

Make a list if all possibilities with them and talk about making sure they keep their grades up so they can continue to participate in their choice of activity.

Make sure everyone has their own homework space in the house.

Make sure everyone has their own homework area.

Whether it’s a desk in the kitchen or a corner in the family room, give each child their own space to do their homework.

If you have more than one child with special needs, this can be especially important because it will help them feel more independent.

Give each child their own homework area.
Set clear expectations about when homework needs to be done and how it will be organized.
Make sure everyone has a good place to work on their assignments – whether that’s at home or in a classroom or library.

Organize school supplies

Buy and organize all school supplies the week before school starts. This will allow you to relax and enjoy your child’s first day at school instead of running out at the last minute to buy pens and notebooks.

Check to see if you have extra supplies from the previous year.

Shop online. Many stores now offer free shipping on orders over $25 or more. If you can find everything you need in one place (and even if you can’t), it might be worth checking out what they have available online before hitting up the store. You could save some money this way too!

Buy ahead of time if possible. Stock up on those items that come in bulk — think paper products like notebooks and folders.

Get organized. Gather up all your kids’ supplies — backpacks, binders, pens, pencils — and put them in one big pile so they’re ready to go when it’s time to head out the door in the morning.

Make breakfast an occasion to look forward to.

Back to school time is a great time to create family traditions. This can be as simple as making breakfast something for your family to look forward to.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are 10 ideas for easy breakfasts you can make together:

Pancakes
Breakfast burritos
Waffles
Eggs and toast
French toast sticks with fruit or syrup
Fruit parfaits or smoothies (with yogurt)
Eggs and bacon/sausage patties or links (for older kids) with toast or English muffins, hash browns, grits or home fries
Cereal with milk and fresh fruit (for younger kids)

Share funny school memories with your child.

Make back to school season fun by sharing your own back to school stories with your children.

Describe what it was like when you went to school.
Did you ride the bike, walk, ride the bus>
Share a funny story or school memory with them to help ease the tension, because going back to school can be stressful not only for us parents, but for kids too.

Start meal planning

Meal planning is the key to a successful back to school season. It will save you time and money, and help your family eat healthy meals

Meal planning can be done in many ways. You can plan out every single meal for the week or just plan out one or two meals per day, which is what I do.

Start with a list of what’s already in your kitchen, pantry and freezer.
Make a weekly menu based on what’s on sale at the grocery store that week.
To make sure your kids’ lunches are healthy, include fruits and vegetables as snacks or side items wherever possible.

What to do the night before school

10 things to do the night before school.

Pack your backpack
Review and remind your child whether they are taking the bus, walking, riding their bike, or going to a before/after school program.
Pack a lunch.
Pick out clothes for the first day of school.

What to do the first week of school

Sit down with your student and create a calendar.
Go over the class syllabus together.
Do some sort of activity that is a welcome back to school ritual/tradition. Suggestion: Ice cream cones after school on the first day.

Look inside their backpack and make sure all items and important papers are out (especially if they are young kids).

On the same note, remember to complete all school documents this week.
Write love notes on the napkins and slip them into the lunch boxes.
Make sure there are plenty of healthy snacks ready for afterschool munchies.
Take pictures of your kids with friends on their first day of school. They will have fun looking at them next year!
Sit down with your kids and work out a homework schedule that doesn’t require pulling an “all-nighter” the night before the history test!

In the end, back to school season is always an adjustment for both parents and kids.

However, by planning to give yourself extra time in the morning or by getting your kids ready the night before, you can avoid the dread of being late for school—and of course, having to ask for a late slip.

Your kids will have a much smoother transition into their respective new schools this upcoming year with these tips at your disposal—so give them a try (but don’t forget to take a moment to breathe now and again).

Tips For A Successful Back To School Transition

What to do a few weeks before school starts