Growing at Home - Getting Ready for Back to School
It’s hard to believe that school is just right around the corner. This has been a strange summer for all of you, and the strangeness doesn’t seem to be going away quite yet. School will probably look different for most of you this year, but you can still have fun with it!
Here are some tips as you start getting your family ready for school:
Make shopping fun, let them make some choices and pick out their outfits. Pack some extra hand sanitizer.
Get everything ready the night before
Have them talk to their friends (over the phone or virtually) to share what they’re doing
Designate a place for your kids to put their school bags when they home, prepare to be organized! If you’re homeschooling, prepare a designated, comfortable workspace for your kids to focus.
Avoid battles on what to wear by picking out your child’s outfits together on Sunday for the entire week, then your child can quickly get ready by themselves in the morning
Get lots of sleep! Sleep is good for you and your child’s health (very important right now)
Take a first day of school picture (even if you’re homeschooling)
Spend one-on-one time with your kids before they go back to school
Everyone is Behind
We’ve heard some of you express concerns that your child will be behind this year. We want to encourage you that every child is going to behind in some way this year. Most students did not have the opportunity to finish the last school year strong. Your child will have new opportunities to challenge themselves this year. They’ll have to learn new ways to socialize, new ways to accomplish their tasks, and they will all be ok. They are going to learn, have fun, and grow.
Back to School Anxiety
It’s natural for our kids to be nervous about starting a new school year, and this year that will probably be magnified after their unique summer experience. Becky Mansfield has some recommendations on how to help your kids cope with this anxiety and get them into the school spirit:
Talk about something fun that you are going to do after school
Talk about the kids in her/his class
Talk about stressful situations and prepare for them
Ask if anyone in the class is being unkind
Send them with a family photo
Put a note in their lunchbox or notebook
Homeschooling
For those of you who know that you will be doing virtual school this year, routine is your best friend. Most of you probably incorporated routine and structure back in March. Going back to school is a new opportunity to incorporate new things into your routine or become strict on something that has fallen to the wayside. Create a schedule for your day, include wake up, school work, and chores.
Click here for more advice on structure and routine, also check out our sample schedules and chore charts. We love you and wish the best school year for your kiddos!
