Here’s our top 5 back to school tips and tricks to help with kids who are nervous for the first day or to just create a little calm on a usually hectic day.
5. Have a discussion with your child before hand
The aim of this discussion is to make the child feel as safe and secure for the first day of school as possible. Even if they are going back to the same school as the previous year every child is nervous to go back.
This conversation allows the parent to help the child through that nervousness as well as letting them know what is expected of them for the morning.
Lay out the routine for the child as clearly as possible so that they know what to expect. This also allows you to lay out things like any change of bedtime or what after school clubs they may wish to do.
BONUS TIP: You could even take this a step further and put up a routine on the wall. For younger children pictures may be a great alternative to a formally written timetable.
4. Save on School Supplies where you can
For things like pencils and highlighters there are always some really good sets in pound stores to help you save a few pennies here and there.
One of the other good ways to save yourself some money is getting your child to round up what they already have. For example, they may have already got a usable pencil case from the previous year that there is no point replacing. Or, you could get a plain coloured cheap pencil case from a pound store and have your child draw their own design using markers.
If you do need to buy a few things make sure that you shop around. Online stores always have great discounts. It might even be worth downloading one of the coupon softwares to see if you can get any deals.
BONUS TIP: talk to other parents that you know and see if you can do a swap of things that you have surplus of for something your child needs.
3. Getting back in the groove of education
A few weeks before school starts see if you can take them on a couple of educational trips.
Local museums are a great choice as they often have interactive activities that children can do. Plus with them finally being open it’s a great time to take the opportunity.
Giving kids the chance to start thinking about learning is great as it allows them to mentally prepare for the change of pace.
Make it a fun trip by maybe taking a picnic with you and having some family time by engaging with them.
2. Set Up a Homework App
Downloading one of these apps can be very helpful in getting your child into a routine. The appstore has 100s of great options with some of the highest rated being Power Planner and myHomework.
By having a system set up and making sure that they input any work that they need to do it also gives your child responsibility for their own homework. Therefore, they can get a sense of pride through having this independence.
These apps can really be used by any age group. Plus (provided you also have the password to your child’s device/account) this will also allow you to keep track of what your child has to do without putting too much pressure on them.
Of course, it is still important to schedule a time slot in your routine for them to complete the work but this also gives the parent the chance to create a calm environment around homework. No longer do you need to hover over them and try and make sure that they are getting everything done. Instead take the opportunity to have some downtime for yourself.
1. Gradually adjust your Wakeup and Bedtime routines
Over the summer and through lockdown sleeping in and getting to bed later has become the new normal for many people.
But, so that it’s not such an adjustment for your child it’s worth gradually making your wake up and bedtimes earlier.
For instance, over a week if you alter the times by about 15-30 minutes every few days before you know it you will be back near term time bedtimes and wakeups.
By getting into this routine earlier it allows for your child to be well rested and fully prepared. Of course, getting exactly to term time bed and wake up times might feel too early. But if you can make it so it is within about an hour of when your ideal term time wake up will be, this will tremendously help.
