How many of you look forward to your kids returning to school? Well … This was the first year I was actually looking forward to my kids going to school full-time. Last year was the first year they’ve all gone to school but it was only part-time. But with everything going on with this whole “COVID-19” thing, it surely makes you little uneasy about sending your kids to ANYWHERE! For the first time in my life all three of my kids will have the same schedule. Not only will they have the same schedule BUT they will also be attending the same school! As I discussed in a previous post, I have a child on the spectrum. For some of you that don’t know what “on the spectrum” means, I am referring to the term Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Regardless of the age of your kids, going to school is a big step! Maybe even bigger for us parents. Especially the first day of school! It can be very overwhelming for everyone. New classes, new teachers and new schedules! With there being so many different changes in the world right now some kids maybe attending school virtually. Regardless, it never hurts to prepare for whatever it is God may have in store for us.
Here are a few tricks and tips getting back into the groove of things!
1. Establish a Sleeping Schedule
The hardest part about preparing your kids for school is getting them to go to bed on time. When I was a child, getting back into the groove of going to bed on time was never easy. It is important to slowly ease your child back into a regular sleep schedule. We have already started to adjust our kids’ sleeping schedules. After moving, our kids were going to bed at random times. I’m talking 8:30PM, 9:30PM and sometimes even 10:00PM! That’s a little shocking for our family being that they use to be in bed by 6:45PM. In order to get things back in order we slowly transitioned them back to their routine schedule. We did this by putting them in bed 30 minutes earlier and after a few days we gradually moved their bedtime up by 15 minutes … and so on. Eventually, they were back to their normal routine. By doing this, it will make their returned to school that much smoother.
2. Tour the School
Going on a school tour prior to school starting is always a great idea! One should always want to know the kind of environment their child is going to be in. I do know that touring schools may be hard for most parents to do right now, but there’s always the virtual option! I requested to tour my kids’ new school virtually until I was able to see it physically in person. With the CDC regulations right now, most schools are not allowing parents on the campus while there are children present. Therefore, I opted to go into the school (keeping my social distance and wearing a mask) during the weekend. During this time, you’ll be able to familiarize yourself with the layout of the school (i.e. the main office, classrooms, bathrooms, your child’s cubby locations, etc.). You can also ask if they offer shadow days at the school. A shadow day allows the child to have a true experience of what their day would be like at school.
During this time both you and your child will get to meet your child’s teachers whether it is in person or virtually. The most important thing is being able to match faces with names as well as personalities. Not only will this make your child feel a little more comfortable with being in a new environment, but it also will help you as well.
3. Learn your child’s class schedule
Every parent should want to know what their child’s day at school is going to look like. It’s good to know what your child will be learning & doing during the upcoming school year. Therefore, it’s good to ask for a general daily schedule (if there is one available) during the time of registration. There may be important dates that you may need to make note of. The last thing you want to do is miss an important day for your child! If your school doesn’t supply you with a daily/yearly schedule for this upcoming school year, you can simply request one.
3. School Supply Inventory Check
If you’re like me you are continuously buying things throughout the year. Now would be a great time to skim through your cabinets & drawers to see what you could reuse for this upcoming school year. Before buying new school supplies, make sure you know what you have so you’re not buying supplies you don’t need. Make a list of your “must-have” school supplies! Most schools and classes provide a small list of basic supplies that will be needed for the upcoming year. Even if you don’t have the school’s recommended list the day you decide to go shopping, you can snag the necessities your child may need: a new backpack or lunch box, snack containers, pens/pencils, notebooks, folders, etc.
Once you’ve created your back-to-school list, you can turn it into a maaaajor event for your child. You could take them out for a nice lunch or to grab a snack from their favorite restaurant, then take them school supply shopping with you. Allow your little one to help you select the supplies they need. If they know they’ve had some say in the items selected, they’ll be that much more excited to use their brand-new school supplies! If your child is attending a private school, keep in mind some private schools will include a “materials” fee within the tuition. Therefore, you may not have to run to the store for any supplies!
6. Designate a “Learning Center”
Despite whether or not your child is attending school physically or virtually, there should be a designated spot for learning. It can be something as simple as a small table off to the side of the room. It does not have to take up a huge amount of space. We have done this with our children and realized that having that this space helps them transition from playtime to school mode. I also managed to carve out 20-30 minutes each day for summertime learning. This will help to keep my kids minds sharp upon returning to school. I would recommend starting this about 2-3 weeks before school starts.
When enrolling your child at his or her school, speak with their teacher just to see what is expected of your child prior to school starting. For example, I refreshed my children’s minds with the basics: numbers, letters, shapes, colors, etc. Being that my oldest little one is a little advanced for her age, I invested in a circle time calendar. I would recommend purchasing the calendar with a coupon. Lakeshore Learning center is one of my favorite places to shop for my kids. It’s a bit pricey but so worth it! Here are a few good preschool books we used over the summer: Get Ready for Pre-K Wipe-Clean Workbook, Preschool Big Fun Workbook, and My Book of Coloring. I also incorporated books about “going to school”. A few of my favorite books in that category would be Lola Goes to School, All Are Welcome, Llama Llama Misses Mama. This year I will be adding “I Promise” by LeBron James.
7. Meal Planning
Just as it’s important for adults to meal plan, it’s the same for children. If you’re able to plan ahead, it makes packing your child’s lunch much faster. Try planning some fun back-to-school lunches for your child. Adding some of their favorite snacks into the plan will give your child something to look forward to each day. Meal planning is extremely important especially if your child has any dietary restrictions or food allergies. Most schools are “nut-free” or “tree-nut free” schools. We just recently discovered that we have a tree-nut allergy in our home so meal planning for us will be crucial this school year!
8. School Wardrobe
At that rate children grow is just beyond nuts! Our son can’t seem to stay in the same size for more than a few months. I love refreshing my kids’ wardrobe, so back-to-school season gives me the perfect excuse to do so. Make sure you purchase garments that are appropriate for classroom activities. Keep in mind that the fall season is a blink away! Snag a lightweight jacket for those cooler mornings. For children attending private schools, Old Navy is a great place to purchase uniforms. I love the fact that they are always having some sort of sale. Being that my kids’ school have specific shirts/dresses that they have to wear, I purchased all pants, shorts and tights from Old Navy. I also ordered the next size up just in case my kids hit a growth spurt! Regardless if your child is in public or private school, allow them to pick out a few special outfits to wear this school year. May let them wear one specifically for the first day of school. Who knows, it could help with their first day jitters.
Hopefully these tips help prepare you for a successful school year!
Until next time …
