As summer is coming to an end, and school is about to begin – are you ready? You probably have already gotten school registration out of the way, and maybe you have started your “back to school shopping”, but have you thought about what else needs to gets done before then?
A tip for a smooth transition to the start of school is to be organized. It is just as important for the parents to be organized with their responsibilities, as it is to get your child their notebooks, pens and paper.
Here are a few tips to start that transition:
Tip #1 – Make sure to schedule early, any necessary doctor appointments that may be needed for your child to start school or to get into a sport. Do not wait until last minute, as it may be hard to get in to see your doctor before school starts.
Tip #2 – You may need “before or after school” care for your child; make sure to arrange that before school starts as those facilities might be filling up quickly. Include your child, by letting them know what the plan will be for them so they know what to expect when school starts.
Tip #3 – Create a place for school papers. You can use plastic or canvas letter sized storage bins available at Clever Container.com. The ones that you can label with each child’s name on it are even better. These would be used for any graded papers that the teacher has sent home that you may want to keep. Do not just put them in a pile on your counter to be filed later, it will cause clutter. Make sure to clean out any papers from the previous school year that you want to purge or file the papers you want to keep, maybe in a baby book, so your file is clean and ready for the start of a new year.
Tip #4 – Another tip would be to create an “Important Dates” place, with a clipboard or corkboard and your family calendar on it. It could be in the kitchen or in an office. As you go through your child’s book bag and you come across permission slips, event flyers and school announcements, put them here so you can easily transfer important dates right to the calendar. This prevents having to look through that never-ending pile of papers that maybe accumulating on your counter, which will inevitably result in your child not being able to attend a school trip because there permission slip was not turned in on time.
Tip #5 – Another helpful tip might be to create a “homework room” out of small office or smaller unused bedroom in your house, that is quiet to prevent distractions. It should be setup with a desk, a homework chart so your child knows what needs to be completed for school the next day, computer if possible and room for your child or children to spread out. Your child will like the privacy and will start to get into a routine of going to this room when they get home from school.
Tip #6 – Create a “drop off zone”, maybe in a mudroom, hall closet or even in their “homework room.”
Equipped with locker baskets (available at Clever Container) with each child’s name on them and coat hangers. Here they would put their coats, backpacks, gym bags, etc. This will be the central location for them so they do not have to run around every morning trying to find their school bag. Incorporating this into their “homework room” would be nice as everything will be centrally located. After getting into a routine of knowing where their things are, they will soon like the ease and organization you have created for them, and you benefit because you are instilling in them responsibility for their stuff.
Tip #7 – If you have a youngster that may be going to preschool or Kindergarten, label their coats and bags with iron on name labels prior to the start of school. This prevents any confusion if there are duplicates. It also helps the teachers out when they go outside; to make sure the child has on the right coat, if the child may not remember what coat they wore to school that day.
Tip #8 – Get your child’s body “ready for school.” Getting them ready for an early night/early morning routine about three weeks before school starts, will allow your child’s body to adjust and get adequate rest before the start of school.
Challenge for the week: create a visual chart for what tasks your child needs to do in the morning to get ready for school. Draw the pictures or clip from a magazine of a child brushing their teeth, getting dress, etc. Put it on the door in your child’s room and start to practice them now if they don’t’ do them on their own. This will allow your child to become self-sufficient in the morning, so you can get their lunch prepared or get yourself ready for work.
