Back to School: Tips for a smoother school year

Margaret Laurence notably said, “Holidays are enticing only for the first week or so.  After that, it is no longer such a novelty to rise late and have little to do.”  However, many kids, and even parents disagree, enjoying the carefree summer days as a break from hectic schedules.   

Back to school means several things for many families: a return to setting bedtimes, packing lunch boxes and monitoring homework.  It can be a rude awakening for everyone to adjust to early rising and full days.  However, just like a teacher wouldn’t come on the first day of school without planning, families need to prepare for a dramatic shift in schedule and responsibilities.  With a little organization and preparation, your family can have the easiest beginning of school ever:

• For many families, planning and preparing evening meals can be overwhelming.  Kids and parents love to know what to expect, so write up a set schedule for meals for the week.  This makes grocery shopping and dinner preparation easier.  You can even plan one or two nights to go out on Kid’s Eat Free nights at local restaurants.  Our family loves Your Pie on Mondays nights for this reason.  
• A week or two before the first day of school start scaling back bedtime by 15 minutes a night.  You will also want your students to start waking up 15 minutes earlier each day to get back to normal times.  This will make happier kids on the first day of school.
• Go ahead and decide a set homework spot and general homework time for your child.  A good plan is to let your child have a snack and set a timer for a set amount of free time before beginning homework.  Negotiate what this will be before their first evening of homework.
• Be sure to go to all back to school events and playground play dates.  This can help ease anxiety that your child might have about going back to school.  Knowing where to go on the first day is crucial to calming those nerves.
• Remember that students with special needs can have a more difficult time adjusting to a new school year.  Parents may need to allow for more preparation and sensitivity during this transitional period.
• Go ahead and delegate tasks so parent and child will know who is responsible for what in morning and evening routines.  Older children can lay out their clothes, make sure their backpack is ready, and pack their lunches the night before.
• Parents should have a system for all of the paper that comes home: tests to be signed and permission slips.  Our family also has a bulletin board in the kitchen with the lunch menu, school schedule and important handouts on it for easy reference.
• Lastly, allow one final day for fun with your kids.  On this day in our family, I put all errands aside and let the kids decide what we are going to do (within reason).  This is a great way to say goodbye to summer and create some fun memories to take into a new school year.

Knowing what to expect can make this the best school year yet for you and your child.

Kim Turner is a School Counselor with the Clarke County School District, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Highlands Affiliate. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/KimTurnerCertifiedHighlandsAffiliate.