Anticipation builds as a new school year approaches... What can a parent do to make the transition smooth for their child and themselves? Especially for the child who is attending a traditional school for the first time or going to a new school? Here are some ideas to get everyone ready for school.
Schedule a visit. Meeting the teacher and walking through the building does a lot to ease the stress of change. If your child's schedule requires changing classrooms and the use of a locker, take them to school, encourage them to physically walk through their schedule and become familiar with their locker. Your child gains a sense of the familiar and you, when you think of your child during the day, can be calm knowing where your child is. (Make and keep a copy of their schedule.)
Get the paperwork done. Mark this task off your to-do list early. Doing so allows you the time to address anything that may have been overlooked, like a copy of your child's inoculations. Make and keep copies in case paperwork is misplaced. Keep a folder at home for each of your children with all required school paperwork, class lists, phone numbers, class schedules and any other important papers. If you need something, you'll know where it is. Last-minute worries and misplaced papers add to stress. You're working toward smooth, yes?
Take your child shopping. Going shopping for school supplies is our annual first step of getting ready for school, part of our tradition for transitioning from summer back to school. Each of my four kids has a copy of their list and runs through the aisles, grabbing the items on their list and throwing the supplies into the carts. I check what is in the carts against my master list. I also adjust supplies, to account for the myriad of school projects that will be pop up throughout the school year and the items that may not go the distance over the course of the school year (extra poster board, erasers, folders, plastic rulers, highlighters, dry erase makers).
Checkups! Consider scheduling checkups before the new school year begins. Seeing the dentist and doctor earlier, especially when inoculations are required, disassociates them with the start of a new school year. Junior and high school sports physicals will need to be completed before your child begins practices for their fall sports.
Connect or reconnect. Consider a simple get-together or picnic with school friends and families you may not have seen over the summer. Re-establishing friendships and catching up does wonders for everyone. This is a great opportunity for new families to get acquainted as well. If you are the new family, ask for a mentor family who has a child of the same age as yours. The mentor family can 'hold your hand' as you and your child transition into the new school environment, answering questions and helping you become familiar with the system.
Move the clock up. Summer is the time to replenish. To slow and let-down. Even if you work, your child, whether they have been at camp or at home, has been sleeping in and staying up later. Gradually begin moving bedtimes and wake-up times to back-to-school schedules. Changing the schedule early should help you get some added sleep since you aren't staying up as late either. Help the younger kids say good bye to the fireflies and flashlight tag and assist your junior or high schooler with a small scavenger hunt or barbecue with friends. The excitement of the new school year, adjustment to classwork and studying, and added expectations wears your child out.
Go over expectations. Sit down with your child and go over what you and your child's school expect of them. Some schools require signed agreements from the student that holds them responsible for their actions, like cheating, turning work in on time, responsibility and treatment of other students. If these are required by your child's school, make sure you discuss the agreement and that your child understands what they are signing. If you or your child feels anything needs clarification, get it and keep a copy of the signed agreement.
Organize and mark everything. When you are shopping for school supplies with your child, get yourself some new supplies, too. I always get myself a new supply of sticky notes, permanent markers, highlighters, paint pens and notebooks. If they are needed, I purchase storage bins. Extra supplies go into the bins and are used by my kids as needed throughout the school year. My personal supplies go into the desk drawer, necessary for marking clothing, new backpacks and school supplies. Permanent markers won't work on every surface, so paint pens come in handy (and they come in white).
Moving through the steps of preparing your child to return to school allows you and your child to become ready for school. If you find you aren't there when the bus picks them up that first morning, remember, you'll see their sweet face across the dinner table later.