Getting Ready To Go Back to School

It’s time to go back to school. Parents are thrilled; kids not so much. January sees us starting to think about packing lunchboxes, buying stationery and checking backpacks for mouldy bananas (well, hopefully not!).

It’s also the time to start prepping your child emotionally for school, as well as putting organisational strategies into place at home. These two things are enough to stress out even the calmest of parents. So, we’ve put together what we hope are some helpful tips to help you through this back to school period.

Ensuring Your Child Goes Back to School Happy

Well, maybe we’re a bit optimistic in the fact they’ll be happy about it. It’s our experience though, that by the end of the holidays, the kids are ready to go back to school, even if it is just to eat lunch, play with their friends and dig in the sandpit.

As a parent though, we want to make sure the school year starts off on the right foot, and that means getting things ready before the school gates open. Here are some tips to help you do just that:

Start introducing the school time bedtime schedule back into play. There’s been plenty of late nights, hopefully with some sleep-ins, and it’s now time to set regular bedtimes again.
Check backpacks and swimming bags. If they are lost or need replacing, do so. Our personalised swimming bags are available to purchase now.
Visit the library and museum to encourage their ‘learning brain’ to engage so that it is not such a shock to their system. Reading books and learning new facts before school starts is a good idea. It also helps reduce holiday boredom too.
Create a family weekly calendar and hang it up. Record after school and weekend activities, special days at school and even lunch menus.
Set up a homework area. This could be at the kitchen bench, dining table (in which case our fitted tablecloths would be very handy) or a desk in their bedroom.
Set goals together. Sit down with your child and set small, achievable goals for the upcoming school year. This could include reading a certain number of books, making new friends, or trying a new extracurricular activity. This can help them feel excited and motivated.
Visit your child’s school. This could be to meet the new teacher, see the new classroom or simply play on the playground. School visits help make a child more comfortable in a new location.
Plan lunches in advance. This could be simply writing down a list of sandwich filling ideas, right through to baking muffins or biscuits and then freezing them for during the term.
Check school clothing and footwear. Kids have a nasty habit of growing and what they wore to school last year may now not fit!
Boost their confidence. Remind your child of their strengths and previous accomplishments. If they had challenges last year, focus on how they overcame them and how they’ve grown.
Start the year with a positive mindset. Help your child view school as an exciting opportunity for growth rather than a stressful event. A positive outlook can make a big difference in how they approach the year ahead.