Preparing for Back to School

It will be my child’s first time going to school very soon, and I have been trying to think up ways to make the transition easier.  He has been at home with me for three years and there is bound to be some kind of adjustment. If you find yourself in a similar situation, or just want to help any child at this time of year go back to school, here are some of my tips.

1. Read books about going to school.

I’ve managed to pick up quite a few of these. Kid’s Book Club sent two about the first day at school and making friends. I liked the one about making friends because it was about a shy little lady bird, making the point that you don’t have to be an extrovert to be a good friend, you just have to be helpful.

Then there’s another one called “Big Plum Mum” about how a mama pig takes her seven pigs to “scary” school. These kids love to hide away and Nicky likes to find them!

The last book is a Barbie one but I like it because it addresses real fears a kid may have e.g. getting lost and not being able to reach the basin.

All of them start out with fears and end up with the child enjoying school. I think it’s important to acknowledge the fears and share positive exciting things about school.

2. Visit the school and meet the teacher. It won’t seem so foreign if the child has been there before.

3. Get back into routine. Holidays can be the worst for letting things slide. I’ve been sticking to the same bedtime but Nicky has been sleeping in a lot. I may have to move bedtime earlier if he needs more sleep. He’s also been doing a few 2am wakeups because of being hungry so I have to make sure he has enough supper and his tummy is full before he goes to sleep. I can’t cope with working and school without sleep!

4. Get them excited about school with tasty lunchboxes and new stationery. Give them a healthy lunch to keep them going thorugh the day. Show them the backpack and all their new things and how they are a big boy/ girl who is growing up so much now that they are going to school.

5. Label everything! Avoid stationery conflicts and make sure your property is yours by giving everything an identifying label. This also helps create a sense of ownership and responsibility for their stuff in your child.

6. Make your teacher’s job easier. Keep her aware of what’s going on (child had a bad night etc) that might help her understand him/her a bit better that day. Read books and partake in stimulating activities. As they grow, do sight words, tables and reading. You can count in the car on the way home. Ask questions about what’s going on in the books you read.

7. Dress your child appropriately. If your child is going to preschool, let them wear comfortable clothes they can play and have fun in. Those high heel shoes or flip flops may look nice but they are impractical for running. If they wear a uniform, try and source second hand ones from the school – ask around and find out before you spend a fortune on new clothes.

8. Don’t forget to capture the moments on camera. Those first days of school are precious and you will remember them forever. I’ve been using the LG G4 camera for the past few days and I’m enjoying the clear screen and easy editing (although just a heads up that edited photos land up in a different folder). It’s also really nice to have lots of space and not having threatening messages that there is no space left on my phone to take a picture.

On the day make sure that after you’ve dropped them you leave cheerfully. Drawing out the goodbye is a mistake and you need to make it brief and confident. “I will be fetching you soon!” Make sure you do say good bye and don’t sneak off.

Good luck to all parents, both to those sending their kids off to school for the first time and to those going back again. I hope it’s a smooth transition!

This post is sponsored by LG.